Editor's note: This column is part of 'Why Do We?' — a weekly video series hosted by culture expert Martin Lindstrom that untangles unique quirks of human behavior. Click here for the full series page.
Did you know that something as unique as an elevator guru exists? I didn't.
At least not until Newsweek asked me to try and answer one of the more peculiar questions yet: Why do we continue to press the elevator button even though we know it won't make the elevator arrive faster?
Don't worry — you can pretend that you're the anomaly and that you aren't one of those people. You may even find yourself disgusted by those people.
But one day — maybe not this week, or this decade, but eventually — your world will collapse and you'll find yourself uncharacteristically late for a meeting. An important meeting. With your boss. On the 49th floor. And the elevator is moving painstakingly slow. I tried it the other day, just as I was about to record my session on this very topic. And man, I had to hold myself back from not triple pressing that elevator button!
I reached out to Dr. Lee Gray of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who has made it his business to scrutinize this much overlooked form of public transportation. Given that he has written more than 200 articles as well as a book, 'From Ascending Rooms to Express Elevators,' he seemed the most qualified to help us get to the bottom of our question.
Interesting facts abounded during our conversation. Like how every couple of days, elevators carry the weight of the entire world's population. And how 'elevator music' — that soft, piped-in background music often heard in elevators, shopping malls, and supermarkets — was initially introduced in the 1920s to calm the fears of passengers not accustomed to riding in elevators.
On the subject of fear, I learned that a large part of the population is still afraid when thinking about an elevator in free fall. This is fascinating, considering that this issue was solved more than 150 years ago by Elisha Graves Otis. He demonstrated his invention at the New York World's Fair in 1854 by cutting the elevator's only supporting rope while standing inside. Spoiler altert: he lived and the elevator came safely to a halt.
But that's not the reason why my chat with the "Elevator Guy" was revealing. I needed to find out where the 13th floor had gone and if those frantic triple taps on the elevator button would do the trick!
Watch my episode with Dr. Lee Gray – live illustrated by the iconic Lisa Donnelly — to find out for yourself.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Martin Lindstrom is the author of several New York Times best-selling books, including "Buyology," "Small Data," "Brandwashed," and "The Ministry ... Read more
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