The Influence of Music on Temporal Perceptions in an on-hold Waiting Situation

Abstract

Several experiments have shown that on-hold telephone music affects the estimation of projected time before hang-up. However, the cognitive mechanisms of this effect have not been investigated, although a separate series of studies have shown that music affects time perception. Therefore an experiment was carried out in which subjects had to wait on the telephone, with the on-hold message accompanied or not by music. Results show that compared with the control condition without music, the presence of music leads to: (1) an underestimation of time spent and (2) an over-estimation of projected time passed to hang-up.