2022-07-09

每个人身边总有那么几个爱迟到的朋友，他们姗姗来迟背后的原因是什么？是因为他们不讲礼貌或不懂得体谅别人吗？一些研究表明，事实并不仅仅是我们想象的那么简单。

We all have one, don't we? A friend who's always late. The one who turns up for coffee a full half hour after the appointed time. The one who seems to be forever ‘stuck in traffic'. The dear pal1 who sends a message saying "Sorry, bit delayed", when they're already 20 minutes behind schedule. I mean, what kind of a friend is that? Or just maybe, if you're really honest, this persistently2 tardy3 individual is actually you yourself?

Either way, if you're on the receiving end, lateness can be extremely irritating, even infuriating. How on earth can people be so inconsiderate?

Well, recent research suggests that there might be more to this than simple rudeness. Psychologists from Washington University believe people perceive time differently. Their study gave participants a specific amount of time in which to complete a task, and even provided them with a clock. Despite this, some people became so engross