Leaving parties without saying goodbye can save you up to 2 days per year

Saying farewell to friends at parties may seem like an obvious and polite thing to do, but recent research suggests it could be costing us dearly in terms of time. Researchers from the University of New South Wales’ Time Management Institute conducted interviews with 2000 Australians and made a startling discovery: the average Australian attends approximately 25 parties each year.

Lead researcher Dean Hoddle explains, “On average, it takes us 45 minutes to say goodbye from the time we decide it’s time to leave a party. That implies we say farewell for an average of 18 hours and 45 minutes per year.”

However, some survey respondents reported spending even more time on this social ritual, with some investing up to twice as much time each year on saying their goodbyes.

The act of saying goodbye at parties often involves repeatedly explaining one’s departure to numerous individuals. Additionally, those who go through the process of saying goodbye risk being persuaded to stay longer, particularly by the host.

Dean Hoddle offers a piece of advice: “Don’t fall into this trap. Most party hosts are either too preoccupied or too inebriated to notice if you make a discreet exit.”

Many have adopted what’s known as the ‘Irish Exit’ or ‘backdoor benny’ as a solution to this time-consuming tradition. One such practitioner, Wayne Canning of Sydney, shared his experience: “Saying goodbye typically used to account for the most social activity I did all night. It’s way too draining. Nowadays, I always just go for the clean exit.”

In a world where time is precious and social obligations are plentiful, reevaluating the necessity of the goodbye ritual at parties may be a simple yet effective way to reclaim valuable hours in our lives.

Sources: Fox29 / DoubleBayToday

Image Credit: Danny Mahoney / Provided by Wynn Las Vegas