You probably know this already about me. I don’t do lines well. Darned- forget well, I don’t do lines- period.
I don’t like waiting at the grocery story while some person, who has just has their shopping cart goods tallied, finally realizes they are supposed to pay for their food. And, slowly searches for their check register and begin writing a check. Because our time is immaterial to them.
Or, with a sign saying “right lane ends ahead”, keep inching along the line until they force every one else to let them in. Or, worse yet, drive on the shoulder and cut everyone off.
It’s why I have always had a book reader on my Palm Pilot (and now my smart/cell phone). So, that my mind can be engaged in some useful activity, instead of wondering why/how that person has been able to exist so long as the selfish (or clueless) person they clearly are.
It also turns out that Dr. Richard Larson (MIT) finds these experiences interesting, too. (Notice: I did NOT say entertaining.) Larson, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is an expert in queue psychology. He has been studying our experiences (or lack thereof) at waiting. In particular, our psychological situation of waiting, which turns out to be more critical than the wait itself- which is why he tries to develop systems to make waiting more bearable. He long ago realized that the situation involves our beliefs in social justice. People cutting in line- many of us understand that they are usurping our just and rightful places.
He wrote “The Psychology of Queuing and Social Justice” some 35 years ago, published in Operations Research. (1977 journal issues are not generally available on the internet, sorry for the lack of a link. But, any technical library should have this available for your perusal.) But, Larson understands that, while his article may be considered the seminal publication, Disney pioneered the science of queuing when they opened up Disneyland in 1955 (Anaheim, California). After all, who would have believed folks would actually wait hours in line for a ride that would last but a minute or two. (Trust me- I’m not one of them!) It’s part of the reason why Disney always tells folks a greater time to wait than they know will be needed- so folks are “pleasantly” surprised when they reach the entrance point earlier than expected.
It’s why supermarkets load up all sorts of impulse items by the registers. To keep us occupied as we wait. (And, to rack up the big bucks that we spend on these junk foods, magazines, and the like.) It’s why we opt to travel in a slow-moving, shorter line than in a faster moving longer one… even if the time to reach the destination is identical for both lines. (It’s why there are serpentine queues or lines that wrap around buildings- so we can’t determine the real length of the line.) Or, why high-rises and office towers have mirrors near elevators- to keep our brains (self?-) occupied, as we wait for our transport.
Our sense of justice also explains why fast food establishments (I refuse to call them restaurants) no longer run multiple cash register lines. Instead, we all queue up in one line and are served by the multiple order-takers in a first-come, first-served system. Because our sense of social justice is satisfied knowing we are all following the same rules- even if we wait longer on occasion. (It’s also why folks develop road rage as they try to find the right lane in which to travel- always complaining that the other lane is moving faster.)
Now, will you feel better at that line in which you’re stranded, knowing these facts?
Great post! The idea of linking a sense of “social justice” with waiting in the queue is genius! Amazed that so much time in kindergarten is spent teaching kids to say in line, walk single file, wait their turn…etc. – it’s all conditioning for our social obligation to wait as adults….
Tor Constantino recently posted..Another 10 Troubling Texting Phrases Parents Must Know…
Yes, Tor, part of our “we will make you equal” processes!
I don’t mind most lines. Most of the time I find that someone talks to me while I am standing in line or in some waiting room. My late husband used to say that he couldn’t take me any where that someone didn’t end up telling me their life’s story. So usually by the time I get to the check out someone has occupied me by talking. I rarely notice a wait at all. I send empathy though for your dislike of them 😉
Lisa Brandel recently posted..Midnight Angel by Lisa Brandel
Good, Lisa. I think there’s a job or two for you here in DC- you can be paid to wait in line for Congressional hearings and Supreme Court sessions….
Roy
I was actually asked to address some Ohio congressmen a year or so ago….I declined, figuring I could use my breath for something useful, like blowing up balloons. 😉
Lisa Brandel recently posted..Midnight Angel by Lisa Brandel
They could use them tonight- since the weather made them move indoors and they won’t have any!
Hi Roy,
Some very valid points here. I too have developed a rather “make the best of it” attitude to lines and have developed habits around finding things to do at the slightest pause. But is this good for us, really? Wouldn’t it ultimately be healthier for our calm and peaceful lives to just practice becoming aware of our breathing or just observe our thoughts as in a meditation pose? If I can remember to do it, I am going to try this. Sometimes heading INTO our frustrations instead of retreating from them can reveal some very interesting clues! Just an idea!
Amy Putkonen recently posted..56 – The Highest State of Humankind
Everyone has their methods of coping with what irks them, Amy. I’ll stick with books and Scrabble…
I have found in my years of travel that each culture queues differently at bus stops or when getting on the bus. The way each culture queues for the bus does not always reflect the culture on the whole. For example I find Norwegians to be very structured and systematic in almost all aspects of their culture but put at a bus stop and the system goes out the window. I find that also the calmest of people can become impatient when placed behind the wheel of a car in a queue. So I am not sure whether peoples real personalities are actually revealed outside or within a line? Which is the truest indication of who we are?
Kama recently posted..Comment on ACCEPTING Criticism From Friends and Family When You Decide to Go Grey – A – (Confidently Grey A-Z) by Kama
Kama:
There are all sorts of societal norms that rnder looking at one behavior and trying to determine what someone “is”…
I had no idea about Norwegians and their queues, since I never had to line up when I was there. (There were too few to queue…)
Roy
You’re going to hate me, Roy. Lines don’t bother me. I wasn’t always this way. It was actually my road warrior days that was the turning point for me. That, and a near meltdown in corporate life, that did the trick.
As you know well, traveling presents all kinds of “experiences” (to use your word). I figured I could give myself a heart attack or choose to chill. I chose to chill. 🙂 Conserves energy, too. 🙂
Cathy Miller recently posted..Should Digital Publishers Ignore the Paper Crowd?
I don’t hate you, Cathy… i just wished I could travel the way I used to… Arrive at airport at 7:22 pm, park, and alit my plane at 7:45…
I don’t totally hate standing in lines. I have started making the most of that time. Reading books, checking email, deleting email and managing to keep my eyes off the chewing gums stacked near the check out counter.
I like when people talk to me and together we can kvetch about standing in the line! 🙂
Hajra recently posted..Speaking the Expat Language; a Family Drama
Glad to hear that, Hajra…How do you feel when someone cuts into the line in which you’ve been waiting?