[tzs]

I have no hope of finding a cite for this, but a long time ago I read some command line UI research that found if you had a system where commands ranged from instant to taking a small but noticeable time and you introduced delays in the faster commands to make it so all commands took the same small but noticeable time people would think that the system was now faster overall.

[wruza]

I guess that’s because our minds (and animal minds as well) are always aware of the pace of repetitive events. If something is off, the anxiety alarm rings. One old book on the brain machinery described an example of a cat that was relaxing near the metronome and became alert when it was suddenly stopped. Unpredictable delays are disturbing, because a mispredicted event means you may be in a dangerous situation and have to recalibrate now.

[im3w1l]

I think the explanation may be even more low level than that. Iirc, even with a single neuron (or maybe if it was very small clusters, sorry recollection is a bit hazy) you can see that it learns to tune out a repetitive signal.

[barrenko]

Presumably, also the reason we have those fake queue lines at airports (not sure the correct word is for it).

[GuB-42]

My understanding is that "fake queues" at airports are for security. To spread people out so that they are not all waiting in the same place.

Long queues are a prime target for terrorists, and if something bad happens, small groups of people are more manageable than large groups.