vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #616 / Social life / Reading article...

Gnawing nails, spitting, picking the nose, swearing and smoking are the worst habits, more than 70 percent of the interviewed Russians think.

The recent poll conducted by VTsIOM poling agency on March 30 in 153 cities and towns among 1,600 people revealed the bad habits which irritate Russians most of all.

According to the poll, the most troubling and unpleasant habits are gnawing nails and spitting in public places – 79 and 78 percent of the interviewed people accordingly found the habits disgusting. Close to these irksome habits are picking the nose and swearing with 75 and 73 percent of Russians consider them to be annoying, Smoking habit is disapproved by 73 percent of Russians but at the same time 20 percent of those polled consider it to be more of an illness rather than a bad habit.

Chewing on pencils and constantly being late are considered frustrating habits by 69 and 64 percent of the interviewed people correspondingly.

Such habits as changing life partners and lovers and talking on the telephone for hours were announced exasperating by 45 and 43 percent of the respondents accordingly.

More grave practices like uncontrollable gambling, alcohol and drug addictions are defined as bad habits by one third of the respondents. At the same time another two thirds consider them illnesses that require medical treatment.

63 percent of the respondents admitted to having at least one or two bad habits while 25 percent gladly informed that they do not practice any of these habits. 11 percent claimed that they have successfully dealt with the disturbing habits. Interestingly, men were more willing to admit they possess bad habits than women. Only 6 percent of men are sure they are faultless while the share of blameless respondents among women has reached 21 percent.

63 percent of the polled Russians think that if the bad habit does not irritate the surrounding people and is harmless then it is not urgently necessary to break the habit. 27 percent of people did not share this point of view.

According to the poll, men are more tolerable of bad habits than women, 50 percent of male respondents say that bad habits help them deal with stressful situations. 46 percent of the polled women find it a lame excuse. 82 percent of the interviewed men think all people have bad habits compared to 74 percent of women sharing this idea.

Those most critical of bad habits are the elderly, while young people naturally believe that bad habits serve as a way to relax.