During the height of the Soviet Union, one writer wrote that “The attractiveness of an article depends on the length of the queue.” Because you had to line up for everything, even the most basic necessities, it was common to join a line without knowing what was at the end of it. And in a world with multiple lines but only one body, the decision making process came down to one data point: which line had the most people? You can see how that might lead to some weird outcomes.
We don’t live in the socialism of the Soviet Bloc, but we often live as if we do, looking for the longest lines and joining them without thinking much about what’s at the end.
Just remember that many things (or habits, or experiences) have intrinsic attractiveness that has nothing to do with the length of the queue.
Meaningful Returns 