People waste days on pointlessly surfing the Internet

The survey of 2,400 people, commissioned by Moneysuper-market.com, the price comparison website, revealed that shopping websites were the biggest cause of Wilfing.

Experts said that internet users were being offered so much choice online that it was easy for them to get distracted.

Men are much more likely to be Wilfers than women. A third of them said that the habit had damaged their relationships with partners. One in five men was “distracted” from work or study by adult entertainment or sex websites.

Internet users aged 55 or over were three times less likely likely to Wilf than those aged under 25.

Pete Cohen, a life coach, said that cutting out Wilfing took both planning and willpower. “These days there are all manner of websites vying for our attention,” he said. “Internet users need to set themselves a specific surfing goal and time limit to keep on track.

“Try not to become distracted. When buying items online, think about using services that will trawl the net for you and allow you to get off the computer and on with your life.”