Dr. Felix Mendez

Biography

Trained as a physicist at UNAM and Stanford, Dr. Mendez became interested in human queuing behavior after spending two years analyzing traffic patterns. He now studies why the other line always seems faster, why people queue for things they don't want simply because others are queuing, and the complex social dynamics of 'cutting.' His work has practical applications in theme park design and grocery store optimization.

Research Interests

• Queue selection optimization under uncertainty
• Social dynamics of line-cutting and enforcement
• Herd queuing behavior and empty-queue anxiety
• The other-line-is-faster phenomenon
• Self-checkout psychology and lane selection

Selected Publications

• The Other Line Is Always Faster: A Statistical Demonstration of a Universal Human Perception
• Queue Joining Without Purchase Intent: Herd Behavior in Retail Environments
• The Physics of 'Cutting': Force Dynamics in Queue Violations
• Express Lane Violations: A Moral Psychology of the 11-Item Customer
• Why We Stand in Line for Things We Don't Want: Scarcity Heuristics and Queue Psychology

Education

• Ph.D., Applied Physics Stanford University, 2010
• M.Sc., Physics National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), 2005
• B.Sc., Engineering Physics Monterrey Institute of Technology, 2003