Well-Traveled Road Effect
Experience Curve Effects
Cognitive bias where one underestimates the duration in traveling an often-used route, and overestimates the duration taken in traveling less familiar ones.
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Origin
The effect was observed for centuries but first studied scientifically in the 1980s and 1990s following earlier "heuristics and biases" work by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. Researchers hypothesized that drivers use less cognitive effort when traversing familiar routes, underestimating elapsed time. The effect is most salient for drivers but detectable for pedestrians and public transport users.
Updated February 22, 2026