Healthspan researchers found feeling fat, money woes and bad weather were among the most common causes but the study, which surveyed 1,000 women and 1,000 men, found nearly one quarter of females said their partner often tipped them into a foul mood.
The study found that the average females spends about 5 hours a week “in a strop” but the men contradicted the evidence to claim the women in their lives wander around in a huff for about 8 hours of the week.
Half of the women in the poll admitted to being moody “a lot” and around four in 10 women said their temperament worsened with age.
But many women surveyed knew where they could go for a pick me up with shopping, exercise, chocolate and wine indicated as common mood elevators.
“Moods are a barometer of our overall wellbeing,” said psychotherapist Sally Brown, speaking on behalf of the study.
“The research shows both men and women are susceptible to being in a bad mood from time to time, but what is interesting is more how the sexes cope with their moods.
“Women crave ‘me time’ and men tend to rely on their partners to help lift them out of their moods.
“It’s also not surprising then that 23 per cent of those polled said their ‘moodiness’ was affecting their relationship,” Brown added.
Of the 1000 men interviewed 68 per cent of men admitted to zoning out when their wife or girlfriend was in a black mood and 15 per cent admitted to telling their partners to snap out of it.
