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Why do substances that interact strongly with a stationary phase move slowly through a chromatography column?

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Viking 1 on Mars — sample preparation Viking 1's sample scoop, poised to extract material from the surface of Mars.

In chromatography, substances move through a column based on their relative affinity for the mobile phase and the stationary phase.12

The mobile phase acts as the driving force that transports solutes through the system, while the stationary phase acts as a resistive force. Substances that interact strongly with the stationary phase—through intermolecular forces such as hydrogen bonding, dipole-dipole interactions, or electrostatic forces—spend a greater proportion of their time associated with the stationary phase rather than the moving fluid.32

Because these molecules are "held back" by their affinity for the stationary phase, they migrate more slowly through the column compared to components that have a higher affinity for the mobile phase. This differential migration allows for the separation of mixture components, as those less attracted to the stationary phase are flushed from the column more rapidly.231