Attitude and the Pyschology of Queueing

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This entry is part 20 of 28 in the series queueing theory

I took the kids to see a movie at a nearby dollar theater many weeks ago. We saw Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium and some parts of that movie has stayed with me. I thought that the movie was actually very good: it was an overall very good feel-good movie, with a very good message. One key take-away for me was the role of a good attitude and how that can make a big, big difference in life.

Pyschology of Queueing – Psychology of Waiting Lines

Mr. Magorium puts a twist on the Psychology of Queueing. Below are the the non-exhaustive, but general principles of the Psychology of Queueing:

Unoccupied time feels longer than occupied time.
Process-waits feel longer than in-process waits.
Anxiety makes waits seem longer.
Uncertain waits seem longer than known, finite waits.
Unfair waits are longer than equitable waits.
The more valuable the service, the longer the customer is willing to wait.
Solo waits feel longer than group waits.

In one scene, Mahoney (Natalie Portman) takes Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) to a clock store so they can listen to all the clocks strike 12:00. Mahoney (Natalie Portman) whispers they only have 37 seconds until the clocks strike 12:00 and all they have to do is wait. Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) corrects her, saying that it’s 37 seconds to breathe, reflect, enjoy, regenerate, dream.

“Thirty-seven seconds well used is a lifetime,” he says.

I think that’s a great lesson for all of us. Granted, in our life, we will have cumulatively waited for 2-3 years by the time we die. We can complain and be cranky for all that time, or we can have an attitude of hope and joy. Those in the background of these innefficient systems can continue to work at making the system more efficient, simpler, elegant, and customer-friendly. But, in the mean time, we can choose to use our waiting time well.