wait-warping
n.— «“We’ve seen the results of studies where people have taken the time to measure how long it takes at a cashier versus how long it takes for a layperson scanning the items in self-checkout, and it takes longer for the layperson,” he said. “But because they’re actively involved, it seems like it takes less time.” This concept is well-known to advocates of in-store digital signage, some of whom refer to it as “wait warping,” the idea that giving the shopper something to do and/or think about gives the illusion that things are moving faster than they are.» —“New reports differ on the merits of self-checkout” by James Bickers Self Service World Nov. 13, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Books were rare treasures in the Middle Ages, painstakingly copied out by hand. So how to protect them from theft? Scribes sometimes added a curse to the first page of those books that was supposed to keep thieves away — and some were as vicious as...
In the late 1800s, waitresses at the Harvey House chain of restaurants at railroad stops across the American West employed a cup code. One server would ask customers about their preferred beverages, then briskly arrange their cups on the table...