Jim Huggins (jkhuggins) wrote,
Jim Huggins
jkhuggins
  • Mood: impressed

The science of waiting in line

What To Do When The Bus Doesn't Come (from NPR)

This is utterly fascinating.  Note the quotes about "occupied time":

The basic notion, says MIT researcher Richard Larson, is that time goes by if you are doing something — anything — that occupies you; even if that something is stabbing your finger onto plastic bubbles. "Occupied time" just feels shorter than "unoccupied time." People doing nothing in a line typically overestimate their wait by about 36 percent.

This explains some of the things I've read about queueing theory. 
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