When Timex (the watch company) asked people how long they would wait before taking action in a wide variety of situations, researchers discovered that we'll consent to wait only:
- thirteen seconds before we honk at a car in front of us that's stopped at a green light;
- twenty-six seconds before we shush people who are talking in a movie theater;
- twenty-six seconds before we take the seat of someone who's walked away;
- forty-five seconds before we ask someone who's talking too loud on a cell phone to "keep it down";
- thirteen minutes for a table at a restaurant;
- twenty minutes for a blind date to show up before we leave;
- and twenty minutes for the last person to show up for Thanksgiving dinner before we dig in.
