Why Disney Makes Waiting in Line Feel Magical

and what it teaches us about behavioural science

You know that feeling when you’re stuck in a long queue or trapped on a slow train and every minute feels like an hour?

That’s idleness aversion in action, our brain dislike doing nothing. We’d rather be occupied, even with something trivial, than sit still and watch time crawl. It’s why, in those tiny pauses of the day, your hand drifts to your phone without you even thinking.

Smart brands don’t just accept this; they design for it. They turn “dead time” into part of the experience, making us feel engaged, entertained, and even excited while we wait.

Here’s how two very different industries turned waiting from a frustration into a feature.