Mine's high too, which is a good and bad thing. The little things don't piss me off, they just well up inside till I explode .  

It's probably better to do like you do, and release the pressure more often.

Mine is high as well but I rarely come to hands with the locals, it happened only 3 times in 8 years and one was recently. However I often laugh straight into their face, humiliate them in public "I understand what you are saying, you farmer" or stuff like that when they are being stupid or rude. It is harmless except to their ego and make them understand that there are foreigners who speak Chinese so beware what you are saying.

I think its better to blow up big every once in a while rather than be slightly pissed off every day. I go on my happy little way most days and then just unload on someone and im good again for another month or so.

But i still think the premise is flawed. I think it has less to do with us and how much we can take ( though i dont deny that happens) but more to do with the douches you meet. Its all random luck. I migjt not need to blow again for a few weeks or maybe sone farmer calls my wife a whore tomorrow and im back in the slammer.

I was in inner Mongolia for a week and i didnt even raise my voice once! They gave no no reason too.

I tell people to F off at least 4 times a week. This guy just happened to respond. If we walked away like 99% of people i wouldbt have blown at all. Its all randon.

Me? probably about 99%, it takes a lot to set me off and I try to release it before it builds up too much.

Usually going to the gym and working out then a few beers at night will keep the steam to a manageable level. It still builds up but not as fast and you don't know it until you find yourself online making horrible comments you don't really mean online, or to the girlfriend. I hate that.

I'm on a short fuse usually, so I run 2 or 3 times a week to burn that bad energy. If you spend your time under high-pressure, it's probably a good idea to make plans to leave. It was my case, I left (I know, not easy unless you leave completely alone and debt-free).

It is set pretty high. I am still capable of blowing in a gentle way though

In that case mine is set at about 70% - 80%

Im afraid its quite frequent because , after i blow off they back off, then after a week or 2 they press my blow off button again. They just dont get it!!!

I set mine pretty high, say 85. I can laugh at most of the stupidity that happens here, but if someone actually moves themselves into my crosshairs, I tend to be unforgiving. I find it useful, since, when it does go off, it usually blows up on the retards who deserve it, and not civilian bystanders. It's also more in line with the Chinese way--all smiles until the last straw comes, and then enmity. The difference is....I am creative with my enmity.

I don't seem to have one.

I don't seem to have one.

I kind of hope it is set to 5-10  .... in one ear out the other ...  it doesn't really matter .... Yangist, only my well being matters.

But there are times, I worry, that it is up there at 99-100 and the big blow has yet to come in China. These happened back home, before the big one that brought me here.

I think it is the former..... in one ear out the other, and I say again:

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

Call me a coward but I keep it at -5 to -10 since I think its worthless to argue with someone who tends to create fuss over nothing.

There are so many people in life who make me avoid couple of douches everyday and I am happy with it, I don't want to present myself as a hero. My calm life is much better than making news of hitting others or getting hit.

Mine is set too low, around 15%, a lot of small things make me angry, which sucks, and I hate being like that, but I have difficulties changing my approach

I don't really find life here all that stressful. Though I think that's directly related to kinda sealing myself off from local BS.

I don't date local women, I work with pretty smart people and I generally hang out with expat professionals with good outlooks on life.

I don't let local BS into my life into the first place and I really try not to give them the power to upset me. I think I would have a nervous breakdown if I really started thinking about all of them. They're all just part of the background, they can go out and do their things but my happiness/stress cannot be based on them behaving themselves.

That being said I really hate the hellos because that shatters the background illusion a little bit. But I can live with it, not gonna make me lose my cool...

Mine's low.  Maybe around 10%.  I tend to avoid confrontation with the locals whenever possible, I just don't see the point.  I do do a lot of muttering under my breath.  Someone does something stupid, I curse them under my breath and move on, a few minutes later its forgotten.

In my 7 years here I have only once exploded.  I made my boss cry by yelling at her and telling he just how useless both she, and the company were.  In a strange way it actually cleared the air between us and I carried on working there for a few more years.

I don't ever go the full hog.  

I think I feel more grief since I started driving in China about 6 months ago.  

Before then it was easy to avoid all (most) of the stupidity.  But trying to negotiate a vehicle amongst a sea of complete arsholes does have some small effect on me.  However a scowl here, some yelling there seems to be enough of a release without ever having to blow the top.

So I think my pressure gauge is set high.  High enough that it never actually goes off.

I don't ascribe to the idea of 'pressure valve settings'. There is no correllation between frequency and severity of blowouts. Just different personalities facing off against different stress-situations.

I am a pretty patient person but when it comes to stupidity and inconsideration... I lose my temper quickly. This would be at around 60-70%. I start cursing and insulting and pointing stuff out to people to show them their errors. But even getting here takes quite a bit. When I get here, it is best to just leave me alone and I will calm down.

Unfortunately, Chinese really get into foreigner's faces somewhat often when they can. So this really doesn't help and could lead to...

At 80-90%, I am basically ready to fight. And I don't care who it is or how many... I VERY rarely get to this point but all I can think about is making somebody else hurt. I have never struck a Chinese person, but I have pushed one across the room, broke up a fight and stopped a few from beating on others.

90-100% = Hulk Smash

I can usually keep pumping for 5 or 6 mins so i guess the pressure is quite high at the end.

I embrace apathy. I do my job well and I pay no attention to what others do. If the inactivity or uselessness of others forces me to do more work than I should normally have to do then it pisses me off a bit, but that passes. If I see a major calamity about to occur I may or may not give warning or advice as to how to avert this. A good example of this was the other day when someone had stacked huge sheets of plate glass in the hallway. I asked other staff if letting children play near huge sheets of precariously stacked glass was okay here in China - the glass was moved, crisis averted.

and this is why I drink

lucky for everybody  

funny I don't drink in Australia ,just China