[Infographic] The Psychology of Angry Birds Addiction

(So, so angry.)

The world's most distracting past time, Angry Birds is also one of the most-played games in history. Over 300 million Angry Birds games have been downloaded so far, although that number is expected to one day top a billion. 

If you're a fan of Angry Birds and infographics, I think you'll dig what we have for you today. It's a visual representation of the psychology, sociology and addictive qualities of Angry Birds. Although the visuals are based on a rather small sample size (just 1000 players), its findings seem consistent with my assumptions. Namely, that Angry Birds, while perceived to be a relaxing game, can actually stir up feelings of anger, irritability and anxiety. What I didn't previously realize was that, bizarrely, those feelings seem to intensify if users are single or unemployed. So, if you don't have a girlfriend and are cruising through craigslist looking for a gig, don't expect 30 minutes of hurling pixelated birds at wooden planks to make you feel better. You may, in fact, feel worse.

Other fun facts:

• Players have hurled more than 100 billion virtual Angry Birds; in comparison, there are an estimated 100 billion real birds alive on Earth.
• Rovio is valued at one billion, the same valuation as JetBlue.
• Single people are more likely to see their mood deteriorate while playing the game than married people.
• 12% of users have deleted the game in order to keep them from playing it because it is so addictive.

Check out the chart below!