Every
year, Americans spend an estimated
37 billion hours waiting in line – and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone
who enjoys it. At best, waiting in line is an inconvenience – at worst, it can
feel like a mild form of torture.
Much
research has been done on the
psychology of queuing, and as a result, customer service and retail outlets worldwide
have attempted to improve the experience of waiting in line. Televisions in
airport terminals should help distract us from the boredom of waiting; a single
serpentine line at the bank should help us feel that the line is proceeding
fairly; estimated wait times for theme park rides should help us feel patient
by managing our expectations.
But how well do these strategies work? Why does
it seem that every week there’s a new viral video of someone losing their mind
in line? Are there some personality types who just can’t help feeling anxious
in lines?
To find
out, we asked our readers whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement,
“You get nervous when you have to wait in line.” Although their overall
agreement was relatively low (36%), a few key personality traits have a
definite influence on our tendency to experience line-induced anxiety.
Which
traits are most likely to make waiting in line feel unbearable? Don’t get too
antsy – we’ve queued up some answers for you below.
Roles
Diplomats
and Analysts (43%
and 40% agreeing)
For the
Intuitive Diplomats and Analysts, the world is a place of limitless
possibility, and a line may represent an abhorrent circumscription of this
ideal. In fact, Intuitive personality types were 12% more likely than Observant types to
say that waiting in line makes them nervous. The physical inertia of waiting in
line invites mental boredom, presenting the perfect opportunity for Intuitive
types’ highly active imaginations to run wild, for better or worse. If other
stressful factors are involved, like potentially missing a critical
appointment, Intuitive personalities will probably spend their time in line imagining all
the consequences of being stuck there, becoming increasingly restless and
nervous.
Sensitive
Diplomats may object to the thought of being placed in an impersonal queue. Feeling
more like herded cattle than human beings, they’ll be eager to escape as soon
as possible. Logical Analyst personalities, on the other hand, are likely to see inefficiency
in a slow line, grumbling that no one has come up with a better solution than
the inexorable time sink in which they currently find themselves.
Explorers
and Sentinels (31%
and 30%)
Although
probably no more thrilled than Analysts and Diplomats at the sight of a long
line, Explorers and Sentinels, as practically minded personality types, are
more accepting of the inevitability of waiting. Their Observant trait makes
them very pragmatic about the fact that everyone in line is trying to
accomplish the same thing and will simply have to wait their turn to do so.
Explorers,
who try to make the most of every moment, might find clever ways to entertain
themselves or make their surroundings more enjoyable. Sentinels, for their
part, may take a measure of satisfaction in the inherent orderliness of lines.
These personality types see their options as waiting in line or chaos, and they certainly don’t
like chaos. For them, the line is just one unpleasant part of working within a
system organized by rules.
Strategies
Constant Improvement (56% agreeing)
Our readers’ Mind
and Identity traits played an even bigger role in whether waiting in line makes
them nervous, and the Introverted, Turbulent personality types who belong to the Constant
Improvement Strategy topped the list. Introverts were 18% more likely to agree
with our statement than Extraverts, and Turbulent types were 27% more likely
than Assertive types. Why? Consider that waiting in line not only saps time
from us, but it also forces us into close proximity with strangers, and that
can test our sense of social and emotional security, along with our patience.
The socially exposed
position of waiting in line can be highly uncomfortable for Introverts, a
feeling that is compounded for Turbulent personalities, who are susceptible to stress
and emotional reactions. Constant Improvers can come down hard on themselves
for anything, including choosing the slow line (and don’t we always seem to
choose the slow line?), but finding themselves in a situation they can’t
control may be all the more frustrating.
Turbulent
Advocates were the personality type most likely to agree that they get
nervous waiting in line (61%). Although Advocates love to think of themselves
as working in the service of other people, the tediously bureaucratic nature of
a line can drain that goodwill. As helpless to change a slow-moving queue as
the person ahead of or behind them, Advocates may quickly grow anxious about
being unable to use their time more productively (and much more creatively).
Social Engagement (39%)
The members of the Social
Engagement Strategy, although also Turbulent, are helped quite a bit by their
Extraversion when it comes to waiting in line. They’re still more prone to
getting stressed out than Assertive personality types are, but they might actually find the
busy social environment of a line stimulating in a positive way. They might
initiate conversations with other people in line, and if others around them are
acting relaxed, they’ll relax too.
Confident Individualism (26%)
It might seem
surprising that the Introverts belonging to the Confident Individualism
Strategy don’t have more of a problem with lines, given their fierce
independence. While it’s probably true that Confident Individualists will do
whatever they can to avoid a line in the first place, their Assertive Identity balances
out that natural aversion. If these personalities have to wait in line, they have to wait in
line – there’s no use getting worked up about it.
People Mastery (19%)
The People Mastery
Strategy, defined by its Extraverted, Assertive personality types, proved to be the most comfortable
with waiting in line. People Masters not only crave social excitement, but they
also have the self-assured nature to endure delays. These types are the most
likely to turn a long line into an adventure, chatting with people and making
jokes, trying to make the experience fun for everyone. And should the situation
call for it, People Masters would have no problem stepping up to take charge of
the orderliness and efficiency of the line.
Of all the
personality types, Assertive Consuls were the least likely to feel nervous
in line (13%). Rather than seeing lines as masses of undifferentiated humanity
standing between them and their goal, Consuls see individuals sharing a common
experience, and as “people people,” they may look forward to the opportunity to
make friends of these strangers.
Conclusions
Although waiting in
line is a social experience, typically spent around people who we have never
seen before and likely will never see again, it is perhaps even more intensely
a psychological phenomenon. How we deal with being forced to wait – of having what
we want deferred in such a tangible way – can tell us much about who we are.
If you experience
anxiety while waiting in line, especially if you have Introverted, Turbulent,
or Intuitive personality traits, try a new strategy the next time you’re stuck in a long
line. Bring something to read, or go out on a limb and strike up a conversation
with a stranger. It won’t make the line move faster, but it might at least make
the wait feel shorter.
How well do you
tolerate the experience of waiting in line? Let us know in the comments below!