Daily dilemmas that have turned us into a nation of ditherers

BRITONS spend the equivalent of two years and nine months of their lives dithering, a survey claims.

Daily dilemmas include what to have for dinner – which takes almost seven minutes to decide – and what to wear, which uses up another four.

What to watch on Netflix takes four minutes and 19 seconds. Seven and a half minutes are spent thinking about whether or not to be sociable, while choosing what to order in a restaurant takes another six minutes and 19 seconds.

Six in 10 UK adults admit they dither about making decisions, spending seven hours and 36 minutes making-up their minds during a typical week.

Calum Bennie of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society, who carried out the research, said: “It is remarkable that many Brits find making important financial decisions a relative breeze.

“It is crucial Britons make informed and considered financial choices or they risk running into problems in the future.”

It also emerged that on average those polled dithered over 14 “small” decisions every day, such as what to have for lunch and what to watch on television, while in a week the typical adult will make seven “medium” decisions, such as what clothes to buy or where to go on holiday.

Too much choice is the number one reason we find it tricky to make up our minds, followed by wanting to be sure the right decision is made.

Other reasons for dithering include fear of making the wrong choice and having to commit to a decision.

About half of those surveyed admitted they often try to avoid making decisions altogether, with 48 per cent hoping someone else will make the decision on their behalf so they do not have to.

Among those polled the peak age for indecisiveness is 35, with almost a quarter admitting they dither more as they get older.