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When should you show up to a party early?
I like to be early. I don't enjoy parties per se, but they are an opportunity to latch on to a very small number of interesting people and hear their thoughts. Or just see what they look like. The chance of succeeding in this endeavor is highest if you are there from the start or nearly so.
Why is early focal? First, the host is early, by definition, and if the host (or hostess) is not interesting the party probably is in trouble. Plus early arrival appears to be focal for most others who prefer small-number interactions.
The more clearly defined is your external public reputation, the less you need fear looking bad. Some people, if they show up early, might be thought as "having nothing better to do." Those who know me, or know of me, probably won't think this, so I can appear when I please. This post will make that all the easier.
Some people appear late so their arrival causes a scene. The President of the United States is an extreme example of this phenomenon. But I would not value such a scene, even in the unlikely event that I were capable of causing it.
I wonder how a person's number of Google hits correlates with party time of arrival, of course controlling for total time spent at the party.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on June 12, 2006 at 08:25 AM in Economics | Permalink
Comments
I guess the concept of "fashionably late" is dead.
Posted by: Peter at Jun 12, 2006 10:30:26 AM
i like to be 'fashionable late'.
Time is a scarce resource and it is better if one can use, say, the first hour of the party, which generally is maintained under an undefinite mood (is this a succesful party or not? should I stay or should I go?) to do something else, so as to maximize the value of time.
But there are also other reasons for a rational guest to show up late.
1. adverse selection: at the very beggining parties are actually boring: if you are in when the party is not, you are selecting adversely your self as a dull (maybe someone can also decide not to invite you again in the future and if your utility is correlated with the number of parties will suffer for this);
2. network effects and search costs: to fully enjoy the party's aggregate utility you should go in when the party has reached a minimum scale of guests so as to enjoy network effects (minimize the time spent with dull people, and optimizing on search costs - if the party is crowded you can escape easily geek or inept persons and directly go to the most interesting);
3. reputation effect: if you arrive late, everyone will notice you, you are the news, the surprise, and you will attract nice people who will substitute geek people to talk to you. moreover if you arrive late you can decide whether to stay or to go (can always say you are invited to another party and just arrive to say hello if the party is tremendously boring); moreover if you stay once arrived late, you can thus gain the reputation of being only in successful parties
4. signalling effect:by arriving late you can signal to be a very important and busy person with constant binding outside options.
5. increasing returns: if you arrive late and the party is nice, people have already started being easy and creating a nice environment, you would not spend any useless time in creating a nice environment, just take it and enjoy
6. Stardome effect: if the party is boring and you arrive late and you have the skills to change the nature of the party everyone will notice that it is you who contributed to a successful party, you will be the star and being invited in all the future parties (in which you will arrive late!)
7. Scarcity of arguments: if you have only a given scarce amount of arguments it is easier to repeat them to different people at the same if the party is crowded and the probability that the party will be crowded is higher the later you arrive.
The problem is, what is the optimal 'late' arrival time? It depends on the average time of the party and on the total number of people involved. of course there is a potential 'anti-commons' problem or 'social scarcity' problem when arriving late is considered a positional good (Hirsch, 1976), in the sense that everyone wants to be the last to go in. When this happens we can have the worst scenario and no party at all. This last problem could be solved by hosts distributing asymmetric information on the exact starting hour of the party. This may avoid coordination problems or anti-commons effects.
Posted by: antonio nicita at Jun 12, 2006 10:52:52 AM
Interestingly, a solution to this inefficiency that isn't utilized by our illustrious professors is blindingly obvious even to freshman humanities students. While you guys are tangled up in zero-sum status games that result in shorter parties for all, we students have found a solution: we determine the socially-optimal start time, and make no secret that the kegs will be opened then.
After a few hours, it's hard to call the scene "socially optimal" without irony, but then I remind myself that it's not my place to judge the preferences of others.
Perhaps the economics faculty should invest in a funnel and beer pong table. All in the interest of efficiency, clearly.
Posted by: C at Jun 12, 2006 11:28:25 AM
It's an American thing. The Euros complain that we're
always late to their (war) parties.....
Posted by: Sandy P at Jun 12, 2006 12:56:52 PM
The interesting of the hosts is actually not a constant. They are often quite boring at the start of the party. Since there is only a few guests, they have no problem still doing prep work. This usual leave you as the guest to chill on the sofa with a drink. Or you can be proactive and stand around in the kitchen watching, or even help out.
It's not what I go to a party for, so I wised up and show up late now.
Posted by: Smackfu at Jun 12, 2006 1:02:59 PM
I find it's best to show up early (or at least on time) to get in the host's good graces.
For hosts, the most difficult time of the event is the beginning, as they anxiously await the arrival of guests and try to see who actually remembered to show up. If you are one of the early birds, facilitating social chatter and helping to arrange the food, hosts will do the same when they come to your parties.
Posted by: Clara at Jun 12, 2006 1:49:02 PM
Surely another variable in determining when to arrive would be how well acquainted you are with the group of people at the party? (Not covered under the "Google hits" variable as that's a global measure of fame rather than how well known you are within the group)
In a group where you know everyone, turning up late guarantees an "entrance" as you're greeted by lots of your friends (providing Social Proof, if you're familiar with Robert Cialdini's excellent 'Influence' principles).
However a late arrival to a group of people where you don't know anyone could see you lost in the throng when turning up early would provide a greater period of time in which to build a (temporary) network of acquaintances.
Posted by: Gareth at Jun 12, 2006 2:24:26 PM
Also depends on the kind of party. If it is a sit down meal,
then showing up very late is very bad, even if one gets egomania
signaling points that really heavily googled people like Tyler
don't need. OTOH, Germans have a tendency to actually show up
early, before the announced time. This is also not good, especially
for dinner parties where the host/hostess is usually running behind
and trying to get all those food items ready, unless you are actually
in Germany of course.
An old rule for dinner parties is that the optimal time to show
up is eight minutes after the official starting time, sort of like
the eight-fold Buddhist way or the number of stones by which a really
good Go player defeats an inferior opponent. Not too early and not
too late, unless of course the dinner party is in Germany. And, of
course, in some Latin countries, one should be much later, at least
a half an hour, so cultural norms are important here, although this
post seems to be more about US and even specifically Washington parties.
Regarding the game of trying to show up last, or very late, for just
plain old parties, there are two problems. One has been noted implicitly
by Tyler: Tyler and some other interesting folks may have already gone
home. The other is that unless it is known that you really are very
busy (or you are the president, the CEO, or whatever), showing up too
late simply makes you look like an egomaniac rather than super cool.
Posted by: Barkley Rosser at Jun 12, 2006 3:01:43 PM
I am frankly depressed by how self-centered some of these comments are. Showing up at a reasonably early time is showing respect for the host by demonstrating enthusiasm for the event. That concerns about status or making an "arrival" trump this most basic courtesy is kind of sad.
As someone who throws a lot of parties, I know how nice it is to have people show up on time and be eager to participate, and how empty and anxiety-provoking it is to have to wait around for hours wondering if anyone is going to show up at all. Guests who obviously care only for their image in the eyes of other guests usually don't get another invitation.
Posted by: Tony at Jun 12, 2006 3:52:05 PM
I usually arrive at the party spot early but head inside at the designated time. I get to meet and chat with other people who arrive early and on-time in a more relaxed, "un-party" environment and I seem to get along better with them than the habitually fashionably late. At the same time, it takes the stress off the host since they're neither worrying whether people will show nor trying to keep me entertained while finishing up last minute tasks before the party time. Win-win for everyone.
Posted by: Patrick at Jun 12, 2006 3:52:49 PM
If the party is at a private home, the answer is:
Never.
Your hosts won't be ready for guests yet.
Posted by: Steve Sailer at Jun 12, 2006 4:15:24 PM
These types of issues are discussed in Edward Hall's "The Dance of Life: The Other Dimension of Time."
Posted by: Suebob at Jun 12, 2006 6:20:49 PM
I disagree with just about everything you have to say, Antonio.
1. adverse selection: at the very beggining parties are actually boring: if you are in when the party is not, you are selecting adversely your self as a dull
Parties are only boring at the beginning, as Tyler says, if the host is boring. If the host is boring, why are you going? Additionally, if the parties are boring at the beginning when you are there, then you are are also boring, and the party will be better without you. If you do not self-determine as boring but others make this determination about you strictly because you arrive at the party early, then you are encountering networkers and searchers who judge by different criteria than you do; therefore, their opinions should be ignored. Networkers and searchers are defined as attendees who only seek to come away with business cards or dream dates, rather than interesting conversation, useful facts, or good memories. Networkers and searchers are undesirable guests. They are leeches.
2. network effects and search costs: to fully enjoy the party's aggregate utility you should go in when the party has reached a minimum scale of guests so as to enjoy network effects (minimize the time spent with dull people, and optimizing on search costs - if the party is crowded you can escape easily geek or inept persons and directly go to the most interesting);
This assumes that one is a networker or searcher. If you are content to chat with a relatively few great guests all night, then you do not have substantial search costs. In addition, if other networkers, searchers, and other late arrivals have already made their cohort selections for the evening when you arrive, then your options are reduced. Also, going directly to the most interesting people means that, as supplicant, you have reduced social status. If, however, you ally yourself with high-status guests when they arrive, you have a greater chance of keeping their company all evening--and the best way to find them when they arrive is to be at the party before them.
3. reputation effect: if you arrive late, everyone will notice you, you are the news, the surprise, and you will attract nice people who will substitute geek people to talk to you. moreover if you arrive late you can decide whether to stay or to go (can always say you are invited to another party and just arrive to say hello if the party is tremendously boring); moreover if you stay once arrived late, you can thus gain the reputation of being only in successful parties
If the party is large, your arrival will not be noticed at all. If the party is small, a group dynamic will already have formed to which you are an outsider. If it's a dinner party, the meal will already have been served. It's a barbecue, the football game will already be underway. If it's a club, the couples will already be pairing off. If it's simply drinks on the terrace with the publishing crowd, then you will have been the topic up until the point of your arrival and a group opinion will already have formed about you.
4. signalling effect:by arriving late you can signal to be a very important and busy person with constant binding outside options.
This only works if all guests judge by the same criteria. They do not. In many circles, late arrivers are seen as lazy, irreponsible, disorganized, rude, or to posers or strivers who try to cram as many parties as possible into a single evening.
5. increasing returns: if you arrive late and the party is nice, people have already started being easy and creating a nice environment, you would not spend any useless time in creating a nice environment, just take it and enjoy
This, again, means that you are self-identifying as boring. If you cannot be instrumental in creating the fun at a party, then you are not a desirable guest. You are a known bad guest who others will try to avoid. A good early arriver makes the fun--they help the host, freeing the host up for socializing; they introduce new arrivals to other guests; they get the early gossip or good news for the evening and thereby become a nexus for opinion and spirit.
6. Stardome effect: if the party is boring and you arrive late and you have the skills to change the nature of the party everyone will notice that it is you who contributed to a successful party, you will be the star and being invited in all the future parties (in which you will arrive late!)
This is counter to experience. Late arrivals are never seen as the life of the party. They are not seen as reponsible. They are seen as greedy takers who arrive only to skim from the good vibes and leave nothing behind. See my previous points.
7. Scarcity of arguments: if you have only a given scarce amount of arguments it is easier to repeat them to different people at the same if the party is crowded and the probability that the party will be crowded is higher the later you arrive.
This is similar to your previous point, but the scarcity assumes that one is the single contributor to arguments. If, in fact, one is early, then one gathers arguments and there is a compounding effect. For example, at a party a month ago, there were two novice opera singers who did not know each other. I found it out, put them together, and they were happier for it. That's three arguments: she's an opera singer, so is she, and hey, they're both opera singers. Then they each have I'm an opera singer, she's an opera singer, funny thing, we're both opera singers, and he just introduced us as both being opera singers. That's three arguments for me, four for each them. It compounds. Early arrivers know that this is a way to get others talking to and about them all night. Again, this requires that oneself is a good guest rather than a party leech.
Most importantly, is that arriving early means that if the party is a hot one, you maximize your total exposure to good times.
Posted by: Grant Barrett at Jun 12, 2006 7:09:40 PM
I try to make a point of arriving early. A party is more interesting if it can be experienced in discrete stages, and there's no better way to see a progression than to be there from the start. It's also easier (for me) to relate to other guests if I have been there for some time, and I dislike the rushing confusion of walking into a crowded, in-progress event. It's nice to leave early, because once an event gets going it reaches a kind of stasis and becomes less interesting.
Posted by: Michal Migurski at Jun 12, 2006 7:46:04 PM
Doesn't it really just depend on who you are? Party-goers are divided by people who care too much about what people think and those who just don't care. People have mentioned they like to show up late while others early. I think you're on top of things when you just don't care. If there's a party, you'll go if you can, when you can, not when you WANT to in order to look good.
If you're early, do what a pro-early commenter suggested, help the host in preping, keep up conversation, etc... Obviously, if you're a "just don't care" person, you'd do so because you're cool with that.
On the other hand, if you go late, you're late because you REALLY were busy, not because you wanted to seem busy. Isn't that just fake?
If you're true to yourself and others, you automatically bring the party with you, no matter what time you drop in. Just be yourself.
-Dr. Phil
Posted by: Peanut at Jun 12, 2006 7:47:02 PM
Keep in mind that this is something that varies a lot from culture to culture... if you were to show up early or on time at a party in Costa Rica you would freak people out because no one else is going to arrive for another couple of hours. Whereas I'm told in Switzerland that if you show up more than a few minutes late it's considered very rude.
Posted by: Jacqueline at Jun 12, 2006 8:33:36 PM
I haven't been to a party in so long its tragic. Kids! Those darn kids!! Thats what having a 2 and 4 year old does to party life. I think in 2 years we're going to be more party productive.
Anyway, when I used to go to and throw parties and have an overall 'famous' life, I attempted to go to parties of my close friends early and those of not as close friends a little later. Additionally, I would arrive occasionally very late. Arriving when everyone else arrives is no fun.
1. Get to spend up close time with good friends and assured them people were going to be there and it was all going to be great. Its a great comfort to see a familiar face early in the evening. Accordingly, was able to help with prep if needed in a fully comfortable manner.
2. Allowed people who I don't really know time for them to feel comfortable at their own party.
Early arrivers signal to me they want to be my close friend.
Posted by: mickslam at Jun 12, 2006 8:49:04 PM
People who go to parties to be with particular people arrive early. People who go to parties for the "scene" arrive late.
We've trained our guests to arrive on time. I think it was the scrambled eggs with black truffles. When we ran out, we just removed the tray, and let the early birds gloat.
Posted by: Kaleberg at Jun 12, 2006 9:19:21 PM
I think a lot of it has to do with the nature of the party. Some parties have a very firm start time, such as a dinner party or some more formal event. Some parties, like most of the ones we all went to in college, start at roughly Party O'Clock (which is what my group of friends always said and is anywhere between 8:30pm and 10pm).
There's also the distribution of other guest arrivals, and as Jacqueline suggested party arrival time may have a lot to do with not wanting to appear "weird". I think most of the time it is probably best to shoot for within one standard deviation of the mean arrival time, based on your estimation of the other attendees. This will vary by group and event, and can be hard to estimate reliably, so you end up having to guess.
Posted by: Timothy at Jun 12, 2006 10:21:27 PM
If you come to my big dance parties on time, you will invariably catch me in the shower. Then I turn the hosting over to you while I get dressed; I'll come back out in fifteen minutes to see if the party is fun yet.
Posted by: Megan at Jun 13, 2006 12:21:18 AM
Antonio: the converse of your arguments is that if someone shows up late, and the party grinds to a halt and becomes an awkward get-together where everyone starts realizing how late it's getting, that person is seen as poison to all gathered there, whether it's their fault or not.
To most comments here: the sheer amount of self-centered ugliness I'm reading is exactly why I dread most parties anymore. I loathe being judged by the time I arrive at a party and the time I leave.
Posted by: Gobo at Jun 13, 2006 1:04:50 AM
Wow, I'm surprised no one has mentioned alcohol yet. The social scene must be different outside of college (or NOLA).
Benefits for going late :
1) Cute members of the opposite sex will have had a drink or two already -- when guys are tipsy I'm always soo much funnier and cuter, same works the other way around, as is widely known. That said, going home with someone who's wasted invariably ends poorly. Don't come to my house to puke in my toilet. And of course, if the keg is floating, you've severely overshot your entrance.
2) If it's a big, public party (think frat house), a lot of people will show up just to pre-game with the free drinks and then head to the clubs. They'll be with their own friends and have no investment in the party whatsoever -- in essence they'll just be crowding up the place. Going a little later avoids these lame kids.
3) If it's a dance party, no one will start dancing before 11 pm (unless tequila is involved). http://www.lloydianaspects.co.uk/evolve/evolmenu.html may have something to do with it ??? In fact, no one dances before 11pm even in dance clubs. So if you like dancing more than milling around, later is better.
The people who show up early are usually the ones closest with the host or hostess. If I'm very close friends with the hostess, it pays to show up, because for a while it will just be hanging out with a tightknit group of friends. If I know the host less well, I find it pays to wait for the above reasons.
Posted by: Sarah at Jun 13, 2006 1:06:00 AM
Sarah, re dancing: not if I'm around. The dancing starts when I get there, if it hasn't already. Or as soon as I find some salsa to play...
Posted by: agm at Jun 13, 2006 2:00:17 AM
Sarah: Good point in re: alcohol. As a grad student, I think I can identify two broad categories of party. There are alcohol-centered, Dionysian parties and people-centered, Appollonian parties. In general, kids (and this includes college kids) go to the former and adults go to the latter. I doubt very much the someone like Professor Cowen is going to parties where people end up puking in the toilet (or not even making it there).
Another way to think of it is whether you're going to a party where everyone is married or everyone is single. Dancing or dinner? Etc.
If you're going to a party that's just loud/rowdy/wild, you will want there to be a few people who have had a few beers before you arrive.
Interestingly, you don't have to do a lot of calculation to figure out the right time. In the U.S., (East coast) just show up between 10 and 11. (I'm nerdy, er, mild-mannered, so closer to 10 is better.)
Also, I realize that I just wrote a post on how to make friends with drunk girls in the most dry and systematic language possible.
Posted by: anon at Jun 13, 2006 6:36:10 AM
"you will invariably catch me in the shower"
Now THAT's a party !!!
Posted by: Tom at Jun 13, 2006 9:41:09 AM
it's probably safe to say that dumbasses are over-represented among the population of people who buy the idea that it is better to arrive late, since this idea is the kind of thing adhered to by, say, the "cool" characters on sitcoms, etc. So yes, go early. Besides, if it's my party, I'll be too drunk to have an intelligent conversation later on.
Posted by: sutton at Jun 13, 2006 10:22:56 AM
Anon,
You don't realize what a wild and crazy guy Professor Cowen is.
They have so many insane parties at the Mercatus Center that they
have a special drunk room just for all the rowdy late arrivals
to carry on in. I hear it has a black light and (sounds of glass
breaking)...
Posted by: Barkley Rosser at Jun 13, 2006 11:39:26 AM
In Mexico, being late is something you carry in your genes.
If there is a house party, there's people that drive around the block and will not stop and join la fiesta until they see some activity inside the house or cars they recognize.
Parties have failed to start just because of this.
Posted by: eduardo at Jun 13, 2006 12:51:36 PM
You people have analysed this to death, and far too much. Just be thankful you got an invite - and go already!
If you are late: don't apologise nor scrutinize. Just let it be. No one really cares. If you are late enough, they'll be too toasted to know.
If you are early: Help set up the party. There's only one sure way to get re-invited: Do something to help make sure the party-people are well fed. It's also a sure way to network into those cliques that always form at parties.
If you are dead on time: Dude, seriously, get a life. Or put your watch backwards 10 minutes.
If your friends are concerned with your arrival time, you need to find new friends.
Before you say it, yes I speak in jest. I know you really are not taking this so seriously...
Posted by: stephen at Jun 14, 2006 7:37:21 AM
For the record, none of you are invited to my next party.
Posted by: Matt at Jun 14, 2006 3:58:33 PM
I'm an early goer. I like to throw parties and when I'm not throwing the party, I don't mind (and even enjoy) helping the host set up. Plus I like to maximize my party time. To hell with anyone who is going to give me a hard time about when I show up. I only care about people showing up late when it's my party and it's clear that they are specifically trying to be fashionably (sic) late. Thats rude. If people are bouncing around to other parties and just swinging by mine to see how it is, totally cool. But whatever, I just find it amusing that the phrase "to fully enjoy the party's aggregate utility" was used and debated. Good stuff guys, while you're fighting over the aggregates, I'll be at the party setting out cheese plates and hitting on the hostess.
Posted by: Jon at Jun 14, 2006 4:16:48 PM
Matt,
Well, obviously all you will get are a bunch of losers and dorks
who will arrive three hours early and be gone by the time you are
ready to get in the shower before the official start of the party.
And probably none of them will even show up on a google...
Posted by: Barkley Rosser at Jun 14, 2006 4:17:38 PM
Well, I regret to inform everybody that there won't be any more
wild parties at the Mercatus Center. If you missed them, you are
too late. One of Tyler's more impassioned blogogroupies let me
know what happened at the last one.
First of all, Bryan Caplan showed up early and nearly bored everybody
to death by arguing that after you controlled for his IQ and education,
he still outproduced everybody in the room by at least 4% thanks to his
High Achievement Factor. He was about to be drowned in a vat of moonshine
in the back.
But then the late arriving cool dudes showed up, Gordon Tullock and Peter
Boettke. It appeared they were wired on ecstasy and were chugging
cosmopolitans. Everyone thought they would exude rave love, but then they
got into the mother of all fights, with their various acolytes and subalterns
joining in. It involved the throwing at each other of old copies of Public
Choice and the Review of Austrian Economics. The damage to the Mercatus
Center was so severe that all parties have been called off, and Tyler has
had to make a major funraising tour of Very Conservative Foundations to
undo the damage. I wish him well, :-).
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