The perfect phone call should last nine minutes, 36 seconds and contain a mix of chat about family news, current affairs, personal problems and the weather.
Three minutes should be spent catching up with news about family and friends, one minute on personal problems, a minute on work/school, 42 seconds on current affairs and 24 seconds on the weather.
Chat about the opposite sex should last 24 seconds. One in five people said they spent most time on the phone to their mother.
The research, by the Post Office, revealed that the phrase “I’ll get your mother” is common.
Only three per cent of people named their father as the person they spent most time on the phone with – because dads hand over the phone to their wives.
The biggest surprise is that silence is golden – with 12 seconds of every call set aside for a little quiet contemplation.
Regular contact with friends or family brings down blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and may stave off dementia.
clipped from: www.express.co.uk