爲何排隊是種折磨?Our behavior in queues finally explained

Everyone hates to wait in lines. We get that gnawing feeling that our precious life is slipping away while we’re doing something so meaningless. But it’s not always the length of the wait we find so unbearable. Some people camp outside Apple stores for an entire night just to get their hands on the latest product. But waiting 10 minutes in a grocery store just to buy a drink? Forget it.

人人都討厭排隊。我們爲寶貴生命浪費在這些毫無意義的事情上而苦惱。但是漫長的等待並非總是那麼讓人無法忍受。一些人在蘋果店外支起帳篷，用一整晚的時間換來最新的蘋果產品。而在雜貨店裏等上十分鐘，只爲買瓶飲料？還是算了吧。

Our behavior when waiting is only partly defined by the length of the wait. “Often the psychology of queuing is more important than the statistics of the wait itself,” notes the MIT researcher Richard Larson. Larson, also known as Dr Queue, is an expert on waiting lines.

我們等待時的行爲在一定程度上取決於等待時間的長短。“等待時的心理狀態通常比等待時長本身更爲重要，”麻省理工學院的研究員理查德•拉爾森說。拉森是知名的排隊研究專家，被稱爲“排隊博士”。

One apparent aspect of queuing psychology is that we get bored when we wait in line. This issue is tackled in many ways, from magazines in hospital waiting rooms to mirrors in elevators so that we can check our appearance.

排隊心理學的一個顯著方面是我們排隊時會感到無聊。有很多方法可以解決這一問題，比如從醫院候診室裏的雜誌到電梯裏供我們整理儀容的鏡子。

We really hate it when we expect a short wait and then get a long one. But studies show that we are much more patient when we are given an idea of how long we’ll be waiting.

我們非常討厭以爲只等一會兒但卻等了很長時間。但是研究表明，我們在知道明確的等待時間時會更加耐心。

Walt Disney Co knows this better than anyone else. It posts estimated waiting times for attractions in its theme parks. But according to Larson, these times are overestimated so that visitors get to the front of the queue more quickly than they expect. It keeps them happy.

迪士尼公司比任何人都深諳其中之道。它在主題公園的景點前公佈預計的等待時間。但是按照拉爾森的說法，這些預計時間會比實際等待時間長一些，因此遊客比預期排隊要快，這讓他們非常高興。

But perhaps the biggest influence on our feelings about waiting in a line has to do with our perception of fairness. When it comes to queues, the universally acknowledged standard is first come, first served. Any deviation from this principle is regarded as unfair and can lead to violent queue rage. A simple search on Baidu news with the keywords “cutting in line” and “fight” throws up dozens of headlines in the past year.

但是影響我們排隊情緒的最大因素可能與我們的公平感有關。排隊公認的標準是先來先到。任何違背這條原則的行爲都被視爲不公平之舉，從而引發排隊騷亂。只需在百度新聞上輸入關鍵字“插隊”和“打架”，便能搜出許多去年的頭條新聞。

Queue rage is not uncommon in Western countries either. The New York Times reported on an incident in which a man was stabbed last July in a Maryland post office by a fellow customer who mistakenly thought he had cut in line.

排隊騷亂在西方國家也很常見。《紐約時報》曾報道過一起事件，去年七月某男子在馬里蘭的一家郵局被另一名顧客刺傷，因爲該顧客誤以爲他插了隊。

Sometimes, however, we are willing to make exceptions. For example, we are fine with the idea of an express lane at the supermarket - someone buying just a drink shouldn’t be forced to wait behind those with a full trolley. In hospitals, priority is given to those with a more critical condition - we can also understand that.

有時，我們也容許一些特例。比如，我們欣然接受超市中的快速通道理念——只買一瓶飲料的顧客不應被迫排在那些推着滿滿一購物車貨物的人的後面。在醫院裏，情況危急的人享有優先權——這些我們也可以理解。

But in most situations, we demand fairness. You’ve probably experienced mild queue rage yourself in fast food restaurants, watching people in the other line zoom ahead of you, cursing yourself for having chosen the “wrong” line.

但是在大多數情況下，我們要求公平。你之前可能在快餐店裏經歷過並不嚴重的排隊怨氣，看着其他隊列的速度快過自己，便會咒罵自己選錯了隊列。

In order to solve this problem, the serpentine line was invented. Slate magazine’s website explains:

爲了解決這一問題，一種“蛇形排隊法”應運而生。《石板》雜誌網站上解釋道：

“The serpentine line funnels all customers into one big snaking queue, demarcated by ropes or barriers. When you reach the head of the queue, you are directed to the next available server, or teller, or customs official. The serpentine line isn’t always faster than multi-lines before an array of cash registers. But it offers important solace: you absolutely never have to see someone arrive after you and get served before you.”

“‘蛇形排隊法’讓所有顧客彙集在一條浩浩蕩蕩的蛇形隊伍之中，中間用繩子或障礙物隔開。到達隊首時，你將會被帶到空閒窗口接受服務人員、銀行櫃員或海關人員的服務。在一排收銀臺前，蛇形隊列並不比並列隊形更快。但是它最大的慰藉在於：來得晚的人絕對不會排到你的前面。

In life, waiting is inevitable. But a better understanding of the psychology of waiting can help make it a bit more bearable. When all else fails, bring a book or a smartphone will also do.

生活中，等待是不可避免的。但是更好地瞭解等待心理可以讓我們更有耐心。當這些方法都沒用時，帶上一本書或一部智能手機吧！