Mind your P's and Q's leading psychologist and Privilege insurance reveal the 'ideal queue'
- New research reveals optimum queue length, time, environment and amount of personal space needed
- People only willing to queue for five minutes and 54 seconds, doing away with the stereotype that Britain is a nation of queuers
- Report also reveals the ultimate queuing ‘no nos’ in British ‘queue etiquette’, including making conversation and accepting someone’s offer to go first
A university academic has released a paper revealing new insights into Britain’s longstanding love affair with queuing.
Commissioned by Privilege Insurance, Adrian Furnham, a Professor of Psychology at University College London and expert in behavioural psychology, has revealed the maximum length of time British people will queue for, the ideal queue length, environment and amount of personal space needed.
The average person is willing to wait in line for just five minutes and 54 seconds before leaving the queue, dispelling the myth that Britain is a nation of queuing enthusiasts. What is more, people are unlikely to join a queue that has more than six people in it.
One stereotype that does seem to hold true, however, is British grit. When it comes to queue commitment, the likelihood of individuals leaving a queue becomes almost non-existent if the number of people behind them has grown to six people or more.
The report also revealed that a six inch radius is the minimum amount of personal space that needs to be afforded to a person in a queue, to avoid increasing stress or anxiety.
The ideal queuing environment is a lowly lit, green or blue room, lightly fragranced with an unexpectedly grandiose infusion of herbs and spices, such as lavender, sagebrush and nutmeg. To keep queuers as calm as possible, staff must also be visibly busy and working to reduce the queue length, with well-known upbeat pop music playing in the background.
The Ideal Queue
Source: Privilege Insurance
Ideal Queue |
The Answer |
Maximum wait time before leaving |
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Ideal length |
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Queue commitment |
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Personal space |
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Environment |
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Dan Simson, head of Privilege Home Insurance comments: “Privilege acknowledges Britain’s quirks, providing no-nonsense, good quality insurance for everyone. The UK is known for its queue culture, so we conducted this research to understand a little bit more about our habits and social norms.”
Professor Adrian Furnham, University College London, said: “The British have a well-established culture of queuing and a very specific type of queue conduct, one that has been known to confuse many a foreign visitor.
“In a time when Britain is changing rapidly, and the ways in which we queue are shifting, the psychology behind British queuing is more important than ever – it a one of the keys to unlocking British culture.”
Furnham’s report also includes a list of things no one should ever do in a queue in Britain, as well as the psychological rationale behind them; ‘queue etiquette’.
At number one, queue skipping is the ultimate ‘no no’ as it goes against the British social system of linear queuing (one after the other), and the nationally recognised ‘first come, first served’ principle. According to Furnham, the very public nature of queuing and as such, queue skipping, sparks a huge sense of injustice amongst all members of the queue.
Engaging in conversation whilst queuing, and the very London specific problem of the misuse of escalators on the Underground, also made the list of social practices that are viewed as completely unacceptable by British people.
But perhaps most confusing to visitors from abroad is number three on the list: accepting a person’s offer to go ahead of them in the queue. In British queueing culture, not only will acceptance be perceived as impoliteness, it will also lose the individual the respect of the remaining queuers.
Biggest British queueing no nos
Source: Privilege Insurance
Rank |
British queueing no no’s |
The rationale |
1 |
Cutting into a queue |
Arguably the biggest ‘no no’ in British queuing is when someone cuts ahead of us in the line. One of the primary reasons that queue jumpers particularly outrage the British is that they represent a violation of a social norm. The social system of queuing linearly (i.e. one behind each other) and obeying the ‘first come, first served’ principle is nationally recognised. British believe that inequalities between people should be minimized, and everyone should have the ability to pursue goals with equal opportunity. As such, everyone is playing by the same rules, and bending or breaking these rules sparks huge injustice. This is particularly poignant when the social norms that have been violated are overt and public. |
2 |
Engaging in conversation |
There is a comradeship in queuing that can only be established via the misdemeanours of others. British people bond in the form of eye rolling, tutting, and whispering phrases of discontent at the perpetrator. Other than these moments, it is absolutely vital that no talking should occur amongst queuers. It is perfectly acceptable to pass the time by being on your phone, as long as it does not interfere with the radio-silence that is customary when queuing. |
3 |
Accepting a fellow queuers offer to jump ahead |
Accepting someone’s offer to go before them in the queue is considered a ‘no no’ in British queue culture. The offer is perceived as a politeness, but one that should not be taken up. Should you accept, even if you only are buying a loaf of bread compared to their trolley-load of food, you will lose the respect of everyone behind you in the queue. |
4 |
Misuse of escalators (London specific) |
A recent addition to these social norms can be witnessed on the London Underground network. When on escalators, there is a commonly held appreciation that you stand on the right, leaving space on the left for those who want to climb the steps. Should someone be stood on the left, they are met with two things: disapproval from people walking up, frustrated that someone is in their way; and anxiety from those who are stood on the right, knowing this person has violated the social norm, yet they will never let the transgressor know their mistake. |
ENDS
For more information, please contact: Fran Langdon or Laura Nugent at Van Communications:
[email protected] / [email protected] / 020 3179 0720
Notes to editors:
The research project was carried out by Adrian Furnham and Luke Treglown at University College London over a two month period between November 2016 and January 2017 on behalf of Privilege Insurance.
Adrian Furnham
Adrian Furnham is a British organisational and applied psychologist, management expert and Professor of Psychology at University College London. He has written over 1100 scientific papers and 75 books, is a columnist at the Sunday Times as writes regularly for Psychology Today.
Privilege
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