Glare on Tablets, Tangled Earphones and Disappointing Air Fresheners – the British List of ‘first World Problems’

Posted on the 23 August 2013 by 72point @72hub

Earphones becoming tangled in your bag, Weetabix not fitting into a round breakfast bowl and being in-between dress sizes after losing weight have been named on a list of the most common ‘first world problems’.

Other issues which plague us daily amid our high-tech, pampered lives include Pimms not being sufficiently chilled, the cleaner taking a day off and the glare of the sun affecting the screen of our laptops, phones or tablets.

Snagging designer clothing, the area we live in being too nice for a corner shop which sells cheap wine and having to stand up to reach for a cup on the coffee table also made the list.

Other areas in which we appear to have completely lost perspective of how lucky we are were motoring, with problems such as the car’s leather seats becoming too hot in the summer – and too cold in the winter.

The car stereo not being MP3 compatible also causes ‘distress’, as does needing a second family car, but not having room on the driveway.

A spokesman for paid survey website OnePoll, which carried out the study, said:

”Sometimes we forget just how good we’ve got it.

”Whilst we enjoy a lifestyle much more fortunate than some parts of the world, we still find time to moan about those more trivial problems during everyday life.

”Of course it’s frustrating that our earphones get tangled, or that some shops only sell cheap wine when you want to splash out a bit.

”But when these moments occur, we should take a second and reflect on what aspects of our life aren’t so problematic”.

The study which was carried out among 2,000 adults aged between the ages of 18 and 65.

All were asked to name their own ‘first world problems’, and mark a subsequent list of the top 75.

THE TOP 50 FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

Its boiling hot outside but freezing in the air conditioned office

My personal trainer took the week off so I have to work out alone

My wallet won’t close because there’s too much money in it

I bought a dishwasher and now spend longer packing and unpacking it than I did washing up

My Brie is too hard

No semi-skimmed milk in the supermarket, just full fat

Earphones getting tangled up in your bag

Chipped nail varnish

Warm Pimms

The cleaner taking a day off

Trying to keep electricals out of the sun whilst sunbathing e.g. phone, camera etc

Watch / jewelry causing unsightly tan lines

Spotting someone wearing the same outfit as you

Squeaky new shoes which hurt whilst breaking them in

Snagging designer clothing

Over / under brewed tea

Remote control batteries have run out

A disappointing air freshener

The wind blowing your summer dress or skirt up

Stepping on something wet while wearing socks

Hair sticking to lipstick or lip balm in the slightest breeze

You update your mobile phone and lose all your contacts

Sitting on your designer sunglasses

Getting a fishbone stuck in your throat

Two Weetabix not fitting in a round bowl properly, resulting in half of them becoming soggy and the other dry

Having to watch movies on a phone because the tablet battery died

Wanting another car, but not having room on the driveway

I want to take my laptop outside but the wifi doesn’t reach far enough

The living room isn’t big enough for a coffee table and recliner sofas

Getting suntan lotion in your eyes whilst reading outdoors in the sunshine

Getting popcorn in your teeth

Forgetting your phone charger

Cold leather car seats in the winter

My car won’t play MP3′s

The football match is on Sky and not terrestrial

My hairdresser moving

Having to go to the Post Office to collect a parcel

Being out when a parcel gets delivered

Supermarket check-out staff scanning faster than you can pack

Sky+ recordings clashing

Having a restaurant table indoors on a sunny day

Nail polish clashing with lipstick

Batteries going in the Sky remote

The cash machine giving you a £50 note

The shop not stocking a coke bottle with your name on

Heel getting stuck in the decking of a boat/yacht

Living somewhere too posh for a cheap corner shop

Having the last edition of the iPhone

The sun glare on your iPad / phone tablet

A neighbor using the same Laura Ashley wallpaper