The door-close rain dance
The vast majority of the time, the door-close button on elevators doesn’t do anything. This is the case for the elevators in our office building.
When they’re in the lobby, and someone pushes a floor button, the elevators wait for an extra 5 seconds before closing the doors. This is an optimization to accumulate additional passengers — when lots of people are coming in and out of the lobby all the time, you don’t want elevators going up with just one person in them.
Inevitably, people start getting impatient and hitting the door-close button after about 4 seconds. It doesn’t do anything, but the doors close a second or two later regardless, so people think they’ve affected the outcome, and they push the door-close button again the next time. If they push the button too soon, and the elevator waits a few more seconds before closing the doors, the people assume that it’s just being slow today or they didn’t hit the button hard enough.
They never consider the possibility that their action is not related to the result.
This is why superstition works. Animals learn it, too. “If I perform this action, I get this result.” It takes a more advanced or analytical mind to consider performing a test: “If I take no action, will I get this result anyway?”
I secretly think less of door-close people in the elevator.
Elevator Hacking - How to make an elevator bypass all other stops except yours
Posted 1 year ago 26 notes
Notes:
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noahkai
reblogged this from
rorymarinich-deactivated2009061
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petitfemme
reblogged this from
marco
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pink-squirrel
reblogged this from
marco
and added:
Some work, some don’t. I...helps, but it doesn’t take much
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leadfill
reblogged this from
cameronchristopher
and added:
I hate people who repeatedly push the call button. Some comedian (I forget who) had a bit about that and how they must...
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katiebakes
reblogged this from
marco
and added:
Hey 99, whaddaya think? I bet David Owen could mine this...some comedy gold. But seriously...
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rosano
reblogged this from
marco
and added:
who push both buttons when they only want to go up.
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erraticism
reblogged this from
rorymarinich-deactivated2009061
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cameronchristopher
reblogged this from
rorymarinich-deactivated2009061
and added:
Oh man, I hear you on the last sentence. I’m always interested in who does it and who doesn’t, and even waiting for the...
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shawnchin
reblogged this from
kiyo
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yaffa
reblogged this from
nostrich
and added:
This article comes up: Up and Then Down: The lives of elevators by Nick Paumgarten
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nicolai
reblogged this from
nostrich
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kiyo
reblogged this from
marco
and added:
Elevator Hacking - How...make an elevator bypass...other...
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bryanmckay
reblogged this from
marco
and added:
Though this anecdote does nothing to disprove Marco’s argument, I have funny experiences with
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katymarino
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nostrich
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littletinyfish
reblogged this from
ragdoll
and added:
The same could be said about the pedestrian “Push to Cross” buttons on Crosswalks. The vast majority of those don’t...
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fuckinnerd
reblogged this from
marco
and added:
figure out that most...anything by timing them...testing...
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bigdreams
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marco
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rorymarinich-deactivated2009061
reblogged this from
marco
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apileofblog
reblogged this from
marco
and added:
interesting article, but I’m fortunate...a building where two
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ragdoll
reblogged this from
marco
and added:
I openly think less...engineers who insist...putting broken...
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nostrich
reblogged this from
marco
and added:
Door close buttons...haven’t worked since around...early...
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travors
reblogged this from
marco
and added:
similar contempt...pedestrian crossing...after I have, like
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bunkercomplex
reblogged this from
fatmanatee
and added:
I’m encountering an increasing number of those who will mistakenly spam the “open doors” button when they want them...
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fatmanatee
reblogged this from
marco
and added:
Secretly? Let that emotion out, sir. A kick...groin could do some
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marco
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