CULTURED MINDS

WAITING TIME (& IMPATIENCE)

 

People’s experiences of time are also shaped by context and personal expectations. For example, the 15 minute wait for a late bus may seem interminable while that same 15 minutes in an exam may seem to pass too quickly! (Gorn, Chattopadhyay, Sengupta & Tripathi, 2004) even discovered that contextual factors such as screen colour, when waiting for a website to load, can influence time perception.

 

A study examined this effect with respect to waiting times in hypothetical situations such as during travel or getting theatre tickets. It revealed that people valued their time more when it was associated with a good/service of higher value (Leclerc, Schmitt & Dube, 1995). (Hornik, 1984) also looked at waiting times, but in real-life store settings. His findings support anecdotal evidence that customers overestimate time spent passively waiting in line. Note that the two aforementioned studies were carried out in the US (where Linear Time is the default); both imply that customers are valuing their time. More cross-cultural studies are needed to understand the extent that other cultures, which place more emphasis on Circular or Process Time, differ in this respect.