Time Estimation Disorder (TED)

Remember when we would make plans to meet someone and then they actually show up on time?  If you were more than a few minutes late, the other person would have visions of you lying on a gurney with a toe tag.

Now, thanks to cellphones, BlackBerrys and other gadgets, too many of us have become blasé about being late.  We have so many ways to relay a message that we're going to be tardy that we no longer feel guilty about it.

And lateness is contagious.  Once one person is tardy, others feel they can be late as well.  It becomes beneficial to be the last one in a group to show up, because your wait will be the shortest.

Of course, people were tardy—even chronically so—long before smartphones.

Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University and author of "The Upside of Irrationality," has found that people are more likely to show up on time if they have made a deal with themselves to do so.  In an experiment conducted last year, he asked 2,500 Americans this question: If you knew you had a colonoscopy scheduled for a particular day, would you be willing to put aside $500 that you would forfeit if you didn't show up for the procedure on time?  Sixty percent of the participants said they were willing to risk the money.  "They make this pre-commitment to ensure their own behavior," Dr. Ariely says.

Here's the problem: Being late—especially over and over—can leave the other person feeling disrespected.

How do you cope with someone who makes you crazy by always being late?  Share your feelings: Tell your friend how much their behavior hurts.

Source: The Wall Street Journal,  October 5, 2010