Beyond the physical travel distance, what common human psychological factor significantly contributes to increased evacuation times during an unexpected fire emergency?

The common human psychological factor is the denial of immediate threat. This refers to an individual's initial psychological resistance to accepting that a dangerous event, such as an unexpected fire, is actually happening and directly threatens them, despite clear sensory cues or alarms. This denial manifests as a "pre-evacuation delay," which is the period between the onset of an emergency signal (like a fire alarm sounding or the smell of smoke) and an individual's decision to initiate evacuation. Several cognitive processes contribute to this denial. Firstly, optimism bias causes individuals to believe they are less likely to experience negative events than others. This leads them to initially rationalize that the alarm is false or the fire is not serious, thinking "it's probably just a drill" or "it won't happen to me." Secondly, individuals often exhibit a tendency to seek confirmation from their environment or from others before acting. Instead of immediately moving, they might pause to observe if colleagues are reacting, look for visual evidence of smoke or flames, or wait for official instructions, assuming that if others are not moving, the threat might not be real or urgent. This is part of a broader information processing delay, where the brain struggles to quickly shift from a normal, safe mindset to an emergency response mindset. Thirdly, there can be a reluctance to abandon current activities, personal belongings, or a perceived safe state. People may hesitate to leave their desk, retrieve a personal item, or disrupt their routine, further delaying their response. Each of these cognitive delays, stemming from the denial of the immediate threat, adds crucial seconds or minutes to the overall evacuation time, irrespective of how quickly a person can physically travel once they decide to move. This collective pre-evacuation delay significantly increases the total time required for an emergency evacuation.