It’s holiday time, and that means waiting in line: at the grocery store, at the airport, at shops, everywhere. I’m an impatient person, and standing in a slow-moving line is one of those very small, maddening aspects of life that drives me crazy. As often happens, however, when I learned more about the experience, it became more interesting to me.

Fun fact from the Wall Street Journal story on Find the best checkout line: you’re better off waiting in a single-file line than in one of several lines for different cashiers. Although people prefer individual lines, a single-file line moves about three times faster.

Think about the next time you’re at the post office.

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