16 hours

October 23, 2005 11:43 AM

Where'd the remaining 27% go. Researchers in Germany have finished a survey that tells them how people spend their time. With an average life-span of 78 years most time is spent sleeping with the least time spent making new people. Number crunching this research [direct image link] reveals:

5.12% 4 years housework | 0.96% 9 months washing and ironing | 1.71% 16 months cleaning | 2.78% 26 months cooking | 6.41% 5 years eating and drinking | 7.05% 66 months watching television | 0.53% 5 months diy | 8.97% 7 years at work | 0.96% 9 months commuting, plus | 0.64% 6 months traffic jams | 2.14% 20 months in school | 1.71% 16 hours orgasms | 0.05% 2 weeks kissing | 32.20% 24 years 4 months sleeping | 0.64% 6 months sitting on the lavatory | 0.05% 2 weeks praying | 1.92% 18 months shopping

So where does the rest of the time go.
posted by Schroder (23 comments total)

Posing for hard-on pictures in national parks.
posted by selfnoise at 11:49 AM on October 23, 2005

Talking, thinking, hobbies/entertainment, on the computer, waiting in line or at the doctor's office, taking care of children or disabled spouse or elderly parents, smoking, walking somewhere, locking the house up at night, looking for their keys/purse/wallet/shoes, making lists/writing, etc. etc.

But personally I spend most of my time finding funny looking animals in the cloud formations.
posted by LadyBonita at 11:54 AM on October 23, 2005

On the internet.
posted by RubiX^3 at 11:55 AM on October 23, 2005

One year and eight months in school?
posted by Stauf at 11:56 AM on October 23, 2005

On second thought: my bad - thought this was only referring to Germany. =(
posted by Stauf at 11:58 AM on October 23, 2005

Reading MetaFilter?
posted by Cranberry at 12:01 PM on October 23, 2005

Shouldn't it be more like 10 years in school?
posted by Cranberry at 12:03 PM on October 23, 2005

So where does the rest of the time go.

Playing World of Warcraft
posted by shmegegge at 12:10 PM on October 23, 2005

Sweet, I got two weeks on the rest of you!

I'm a little curious as to why praying is listed, but "church" is not. I'd assume that a religious person would spend more time in church than just praying on their own, I could be wrong though.
posted by Talanvor at 12:11 PM on October 23, 2005

Shouldn't it be more like 10 years in school?
You're only in school for about 6 hours a day, about 200 days a year. You're not in school nonstop for 10 years. I mean, I assume you're not.
posted by Wolfdog at 12:12 PM on October 23, 2005

Isn't this like the joke that lists a bunch of different activities that take a certain number of hours in the year, and through tricky clever math makes it seem like nobody spends any time whatsoever at work?
posted by sandking at 12:28 PM on October 23, 2005

Is it possible to get all 16 hours of orgasms crammed in to one sitting?
posted by Balisong at 12:46 PM on October 23, 2005

Damn, Balisong that was my first thought as well.
posted by ijoshua at 12:52 PM on October 23, 2005

looking for my keys: 6 months
posted by Rumple at 12:58 PM on October 23, 2005

5 months diy

The average person does 5 months for DUI?

Seems about right.
posted by dgaicun at 12:59 PM on October 23, 2005

The German news all picked this story up as "Germans spend three times as much time on sex as on praying". ("Dreimal mehr Zeit für Sex als für Beten")


Here is one link with pictures (NSFW). It says 6 weeks on "Foreplay"; 2 weeks praying and 16 hours in orgasm. "Kissing" is not a good translation of "Vorspiel".

Also, the 2% for orgasm given by Schroder in number crunching is wishful thinking. If it were true, that would be more than 1 year out of 78 spent in orgasm... ("I'll have what she's having.")
posted by notmtwain at 2:26 PM on October 23, 2005

> So where does the rest of the time go.

I'm sorry, what? I was woolgathering.
posted by jfuller at 5:25 PM on October 23, 2005

I hereby vow to attain at least one day of orgasms before I die.
posted by Citizen Premier at 6:11 PM on October 23, 2005

26 months of cooking, that must not be instant noodles I'm guessing?
posted by parallax7d at 7:50 PM on October 23, 2005

"Is it possible to get all 16 hours of orgasms crammed in to one sitting?" - Uncommon. I've read of such things. Never had the pleasure.
posted by troutfishing at 9:06 PM on October 23, 2005

"So where does the rest of the time go."
Waiting in line at the bank.
:|
posted by Radio7 at 5:52 AM on October 24, 2005

16 hours? You'd be kinda sore afterward, though, right?
posted by alumshubby at 5:52 AM on October 24, 2005

if 1.71% = 16 hours
how does 0.05% = 2 weeks (336 hours)
posted by garficher at 8:13 AM on October 25, 2005