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You may have seen this in a short video:

A person walking into the elevator without turning around and standing face to face with other passengers is jokingly called "legal but sick".

It seems to be the usual etiquette when we take the elevator to turn around as soon as we enter the elevator.

But have you ever thought that if everyone enters the elevator without turning around, then the person who turns after entering the elevator will become the "sick" one?

In fact, in the 1950s, some scholars did carry out similar experiments.

The person in the middle: why don't they turn around when they get into the elevator (photo source: reference [2]) Solomon Asch, a psychologist from Poland, recruited a group of participants and asked them not to turn around when they entered the elevator, stand with their back to the elevator door and see how others react.

The experiment begins. An innocent passer-by walked into the elevator. He turned and faced the elevator door.

Then, the arranged participants began to walk into the elevator one by one. After pressing the floor, they stood with their back to the elevator door, of course.

At first, the passer-by looked confused. He thought that the man who had just entered the elevator was a little strange, but then all the people in the elevator stood with their backs to the elevator door. Instead, he became a different kind of person.

So in an awkward silence, he turned slowly and finally turned his back to the door.

Successful assimilation (photo source: reference [2]) this is the famous "herd experiment".

Solomon Asch repeated the experiment several times. For example, he asked all participants to face left while taking the elevator, and passers-by followed.

He even asked two of the participants to take off their hats at the same time, followed by passers-by, who then put their hats on and passers-by followed.

This may seem a little weird, but elevators have this kind of magic.

Psychologist analysis, in the elevator this less than 4 square meters of narrow and closed public space, people's conformity psychology and the desire to integrate into the group have been magnified.

Turning 360 degrees in the elevator, passers-by follow suit (photo source: reference [2]) the elevator is a very interesting social place.

The world's first electric elevator was invented in 1880. it appeared with high-rise buildings, symbolizing industrialization and modernization, and a microcosm of urban life.

Dr Lee Gray, an architectural history professor from the University of North Carolina, is fascinated by the charm of elevators. He has written several books on the history of elevators, which is called "The Elevator Guy" by the media.

He described the elevator as "a very interesting social space, but also very awkward".

Indeed, whenever we take an elevator with strangers, we feel nervous, embarrassed and at a loss. Especially riding with unfamiliar colleagues or work leaders is a disaster-level social asphyxiation.

Dr Lee Gray believes that the reason why we have "elevator anxiety" is due to the lack of control and sense of security in elevators.

The elevator is like a huge, moving steel cube. We can't see its engine and we don't know how it works. And once we get in, we can't get out unless it opens the door for us.

Due to the influence of popular culture, elevators are always associated with danger in our impression.

Everyone has more or less heard strange stories and ghost stories about elevators. In a horror movie, there is always a scene in which the protagonist escapes into the elevator, presses the door frantically, and then reaches in to block the door just as the door is about to close.

For example (photo source: beyond the void) so when you take an elevator, the idea of worrying about an accident in the elevator is always hanging in the air.

When you are "imprisoned" in a machine you can't control, you naturally feel anxiety and fear, which is the source of Claustrophobia.

However, if elevators are counted as a means of transport, the safety factor of elevators is actually very high.

If you add up all the elevators in the world, you may have much more mileage than any plane or car, but the accident rate is very low.

Sometimes socializing in elevators is more frightening than being stuck in elevators (photo source: know your meme) apart from the fear caused by elevators themselves, what bothers us most about elevators is social problems.

But people of different ages and genders behave differently in elevators.

Rebekah Rousi, who has a PhD in cognitive science from a Finnish university, did an elevator research when she was in college. She took countless elevators and summed up some rules.

She found that women prefer to stand in front of elevators, while men and older people prefer to stand behind elevators.

While men like to observe others while taking elevators and look in the mirror through the reflection of the wall, women are less likely to make eye contact with others, but are more likely to chat and socialize when they are in company.

Is that you (photo source: reddit) but people of all ages and genders will face the same "elevator embarrassment".

In daily life, we maintain at least one arm's social distance with others, but it is difficult to do so in elevators.

According to Babette Renneberg, a psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, the inability to keep a proper distance from others in an elevator is the main cause of elevator embarrassment.

If we do something unseemly in the elevator, such as farting, social death will be stronger than ever in a confined space.

Even if someone behaves strangely, people who take the elevator will immediately feel dangerous and afraid.

Therefore, when many people take the elevator, they will stand quietly, keep as far away from others as possible, and avoid eye contact. This is a gesture of not communicating with others and protecting yourself.

It's really scary to meet strange people in elevators (Photo: LAHWF) people's sense of shame and awkwardness are always maximized in elevators.

National Geographic magazine carried out an experiment based on this principle.

In crowded office buildings, the insufficient carrying capacity of elevators is a common problem, and allowing people on the lower floors to take more stairs can greatly reduce the overload of elevators.

So the experiment designer called in an engineer and changed the elevator settings.

If passengers press the second or third floor, the elevator will automatically play a voice: "Hey lazy, take the stairs." (you slacker, take the stairs).

When many passengers heard this, they were surprised at first, then felt ashamed and immediately got out of the elevator and climbed the stairs. Of course, there are passengers who don't like it.

One passenger on the upper floor gloated directly, saying that he had long disliked those who had to take the elevator to the second floor.

Some people also protested against the experiment, pointing out that everyone has the right to take the elevator, maybe some people have uncomfortable legs and feet, or simply in a hurry, calling others slackers indiscriminately is very impolite.

In any case, the experimental effect is leveraged.

The researchers found that the prank increased the elevator's carrying efficiency by 50%.

It seems that there are only disadvantages and no advantages in taking the elevator, but in fact it is not.

Elevators not only greatly facilitate our lives and avoid the hard work of climbing stairs, but also provide opportunities for many people on the road to success.

There is a noun called "Elevator Pitch", that is, "elevator lobbying", which usually appears in some success books.

The story is generally that an unknown but thoughtful employee will find an extremely busy business mogul for a short time of 10 to 90 seconds in an elevator and lobby him for a business idea or plan.

If his idea is appreciated by the boss, he will rise to prominence overnight and become a business legend.

(photo Source: reddit) in reality, however, it is more common for you to run into a leader in an elevator, say "good morning to the leader" and then fall into an awkward silence.

At the same time, you secretly think to yourself, it's a good thing you're not late for work today.

Reference:

[1] "Why Do We Behave So Oddly In Lifts? 2022. BBC News.

[2] Conformity Experiment | happiness accelerator

[3] Therapy, Modern, and Modern Therapy. 2019. Asch Conformity Experiment Explained: Modern Therapy. Modern Therapy.

[4] "Who Stands Where In A Crowded Elevator And Why?" 2013. NPR.Org.

[5] "Why We Stand Where We Do In An Elevator" 2013. Popular Science.

[6] Elevator of Shame | Crowd Control. National Geographic.

[7] "Claustrophobia" 2021. Nhs.Uk.

[8] Chambers, Cedric. 2018. Elevator Pitch: What It Is, Its Importance And How To Create One. JUMP Recruits.

[9] Why is being in a lift so painfully awkward? | The Independent | The Independent

This article comes from the official Wechat account: take Science Home (ID:steamforkids), written by: Greye, revised by Han Jingjing

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