Psychology behind queuing etiquette revealed

Research has revealed people are less likely to join a queue if there are more than six people ahead of them Credit: Photo by Xinhua/Sipa USA

It may be an age old joke that Britons like to queue but new research has revealed that even in the UK there are limits to a person's willingness to wait in line.

According to Psychology Professor Adrian Furnham the patience of people who are queuing is actually governed by a rule of six - with the number cropping up time and again in his research into the maximum length of time British people will queue for, optimal perceived queue length, and personal space requirements.

The UCL professor's paper on the 'ideal queue', which was commissioned by Privilege Insurance, showed people are unlikely to join a queue that has more than six people in it and just under six minutes was deemed the maximum acceptable wait time that was reasonable.

Professor Furnham's study of people queuing at banks, ATMs, and supermarkets, also suggested that after five minutes of waiting a customer’s satisfaction levels drop from 95% to 85% and after five minutes 54 seconds satisfaction levels dip even quicker falling to around 55% by the time their wait reaches eight minutes.

Describing the importance of understanding the psychology of queuing as "one of the keys to unlocking British culture", Professor Furnham also noted that he had also discovered certain queuing "no-nos" including skipping the queue and talking to strangers in line that influenced the behaviour of those waiting.

Top three queuing 'no-nos'

  • Skipping the queue and cutting in front of other people who are waiting

  • Engaging in conversation with others in the queue

  • Accepting a fellow queuers offer to jump ahead