I have the luxury of working remote for my job. I work in an office with a good friend that owns another company. I like to think that one of the huge advantages of not working in a corporate office is that I have the opportunity to avoid the office gossip and chronic complainers that can sometimes occupy our places of work.

This past week was a more stressful than a normal week. Towards the end of last week I caught myself. I was becoming that guy. Every conversation I had involved me complaining about something. It dawned on me that every time I’d talk to my boss or a co-worker I was complaining about something work related. This made me decide to try to be more aware of this and start tracking how often my conversations turned to the negative. This includes even the small and seemingly minor things.

I quickly realized it was every conversation.

Which got me thinking. How often does the average person complain about something in a day? Studies show an incredible amount. In fact virtually every conversation involves some level of complaining, as much as one complaint per minute according to research. Want proof? Next time you have a conversation with a friend see how often the conversation turns to complaints. Better yet, spend a little time scrolling through your Facebook page. Or the NextDoor app. They’re a veritable smorgasbord of complaints.