Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Science

New study reveals people judge lines by what's ahead—not how long they wait

Conventional wisdom is that waiting in a queue online or in a physical line involves a certain cost for people and organizations. Rational analysis has largely based its queue management predictions on remaining wait time, or how long someone has left to wait. Much of the planning around the design...

New study reveals people judge lines by what's ahead—not how long they wait
Image: Phys.org
Conventional wisdom is that waiting in a queue online or in a physical line involves a certain cost for people and organizations. Rational analysis has largely based its queue management predictions on remaining wait time, or how long someone has left to wait. Much of the planning around the design of queues is based on this factor.

Originally published at Phys.org

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