Why Do We Keep Clicking Refresh?
I've noticed something odd over the years. Someone submits a concurrent request in Oracle Fusion or schedules a job in EBS, and then... they start clicking "Refresh."
Click. Wait two seconds. Click again.
As if clicking faster will somehow make the job finish sooner.
I've done it too. We all have. But why?
The Waiting Game
When you submit a request, there's this uncomfortable moment of uncertainty. You know the job is running somewhere in the background. You know clicking refresh won't speed it up. But you click anyway.
It's not logical. It's psychological.
I think part of it is about filling the void. Doing nothing feels wrong. Clicking refresh feels like doing something—like you're still engaged, still in control, still monitoring the situation.
Even if you know it doesn't help.
The Illusion of Control
There's a term in psychology called the "illusion of control"—the belief that we can influence outcomes even when we objectively can't.
Pressing an elevator button multiple times. Refreshing a page while waiting for an email. Clicking "Refresh" on a concurrent request that's going to take five minutes no matter what you do.
It gives us the feeling that we're actively participating, not just passively waiting.
Maybe that's all it is. Maybe we just don't like feeling idle when something important is happening, even if our actions don't change anything.
Or Is It Deeper?
I wonder if there's something deeper, though.
When you click refresh, you get immediate feedback. The status updates. The page reloads. Even if nothing has changed, you've checked. You've confirmed the job is still running, still progressing.
In a way, it's reassuring. It tells you the system hasn't frozen, the request hasn't failed silently, and everything is still moving forward—even if slowly.
Maybe that's what we're really doing. Not trying to speed things up, but seeking reassurance that things are still working as they should.
A Small Realization
Now, when I catch myself clicking refresh on a request I know will take a few minutes, I pause.
I ask myself: Am I checking because I need to know something, or am I just filling the waiting time?
Sometimes it's the former. But often, it's the latter.
And when it is, I try to let it go. Open another tab. Check something else. Trust that the job will finish when it finishes.
It's a small thing. But it's one of those tiny moments where you realize how much of what we do is habit, not necessity.
What's one habit you've noticed yourself doing—even when you know it doesn't actually help?