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The return trip effect: why the return trip often seems to take less time.

Niels van de Ven¹, Leon van Rijswijk, Michael M Roy

¹Social Psychology & TIBER, Tilburg University, PO Box 90153, 5000LE, Tilburg, Netherlands. n.v.d.ven@tilburguniversity.edu

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review

|August 24, 2011

Summary

The return trip effect describes the common perception that the journey home feels shorter than the initial trip, despite identical travel times. This psychological phenomenon, observed across various travel modes and even in video simulations, stems from violated expectations rather than route familiarity.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Human Perception
Psychological Science

Background:

The return trip effect is a common subjective experience where the journey back appears shorter than the outbound journey.
This phenomenon occurs despite identical distances and travel durations for both legs of the trip.
Previous explanations have not fully accounted for the consistent observation across different travel contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

To confirm the existence and prevalence of the return trip effect across different travel scenarios.
To investigate the underlying psychological mechanisms driving the perception of a shorter return journey.
To differentiate the effect from explanations based solely on route familiarity.

Main Methods:

Three studies were conducted involving real-world travel (bus, bicycle) and simulated travel (video observation).
Participants' subjective experiences of trip duration were recorded and compared between initial and return journeys.
Control conditions explored alternative routes to isolate the cause of the effect.

Main Results:

All three studies confirmed the existence of the return trip effect, demonstrating its regularity.
The effect persisted even when participants took a different, equidistant route on their return journey.
Findings suggest the effect is not due to familiarity with the specific route taken.

Conclusions:

The return trip effect is a robust psychological phenomenon impacting perceived travel time.
Route familiarity is not the primary cause; rather, a violation of expectations appears to be the driving factor.
This research offers new insights into the cognitive processes underlying time perception during travel.