The ‘rule of six’ that keeps queues in line

Shoppers will only wait for six minutes in a queue of up to six others before giving up, study finds

BRITISH people are known for their inherent love of queuing but according to academics, their willingness to wait their turn is governed by a rule of six.

A study by researchers at University College London found people will wait for an average of six minutes before giving up. People are also unlikely to join a queue of more than six people.

However when it comes to growing too irritated and leaving the queue, the feeling virtually disappears if the number of people behind them has grown to six or more.

And in keeping with the theme, the report also revealed a six-inch radius is the minimum amount of personal space that needs to be afforded to a person in a queue, to avoid raising anxiety levels.

Professor Adrian Furnham, who co- authored the report, 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 is one of the keys to unlocking British culture.”

The study was based on a review of academic literature on everyday queuing including at banks, ATMs and supermarkets. It found the length of time a customer considers “reasonable” to wait in line is five minutes 54 seconds.

After five minutes the customer’s satisfaction drops from 95 per cent to 85 per cent. After five minutes 54 seconds, it decreases more quickly, to around 55 per cent by 8 minutes.

The report also includes a list of queuing “no-nos”.

At number one, queue skipping is the ultimate faux pas as it goes against the British social system of linear queuing and the nationally recognised “first come, first served” principle.

According to Prof Furnham, the very public nature of queue jumping can cause a strong sense of injustice. Engaging in conversation was also includ- ed on the list of social practices viewed as unacceptable.

However, perhaps the most confusing entry for 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, the survey said.

The research was conducted by Privilege Home Insurance.