British friends stop reading now.
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Everyone else, here’s how to cut in line, according to science.
Line-waiting is a fundamental piece of the social contract, a part of etiquette that we might take for granted until it breaks down—like, say, when everyone waiting to board a plane globs up around the gate well before any of their zones have been called.
But sometimes, you have to cut, for legitimate reasons. Here’s what research shows works, as collected by The Atlantic.
First, cutting is much less likely to work at special events. Waiting for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Get in line. The morning queue at your local Starbucks is much lower stakes, and so you’re less likely to face blowback.
Finally, keep in mind that this etiquette varies country to country. Spain, for example, is pretty lax on cutting. Britain, well—if any Brits have made it through this article without a coronary, I’m sure they’ll tell you about it in the comments.