Why did I look up at the elevator?

The story that is rattling outside the elevator suddenly stops when everyone sets foot inside. The usual reaction when entering the elevator is silence, looking up at the ceiling or going to the floor and standing away from each other as much as possible .

Using a seemingly simple elevator is a memorable journey even if people don't pay much attention. Dr. Lee Gray of the University of North Carolina (USA) took the time to study the behavior in elevators and was given the nickname 'Elevator man'.

Explaining the purpose of the study, Mr. Lee said: 'The elevator has become an interesting social space. In the elevator, people ignore all cumbersome rituals. It is interesting but it is a difficult place to show proper behavior '.

Normally, when waiting for the elevator, people can laugh and talk loudly, but once they step inside, most people are silent and face the door. If someone else comes in, the people inside move to make room. At such times, we envision a dance in a square and narrow room.

In the elevator, people avoid looking into each other's eyes.(Photo: Discovery)

If you're alone in the elevator, you're comfortable doing all sorts of things. If there is one more person, the two often stand at cross angles and keep the maximum distance, like an unwritten rule. When a third person enters, a triangle will be formed. And inevitably, the fourth person will make a square with each person speaking in a corner, giving the middle for the fifth and the next.

Almost everyone's reaction in the elevator is to look down or look up, or use the phone in the meantime.

The question is why do we feel embarrassed when we set foot on the elevator ? According to Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Berlin Free University (Germany), the main reason is 'there is not enough space'.

'Normally, we stand one arm away from the other. But in the elevator, most must stand close to each other. That is unnatural, ' said Ms. Renneberg, adding that with the cramped space in the elevator, people must act to avoid the attention of their neighbors. The easiest way is to avoid each other's eyes, which is often said to be embarrassing in communication.

Mr. Nick White unfortunately got stuck in the elevator for 41 hours.(Photo: BBC)

A common incident was the elevator stuck in the middle, causing panic for those inside. Nick White, an office worker in New York - USA, unfortunately got stuck in the elevator for 41 hours. He said the feeling was no different from being compressed in a grave.

The obsession may make some people like Mr. White refuse to step on the elevator again. Dr. Lee concurs with the idea that passive feelings make people feel anxious.'You are in a moving elevator and you cannot control it and you do not see the lift motor operating,' explained Mr. Lee.

Ignoring the aforementioned sense of unease, Dr. Lee identified the elevator as actually safer than cars and escalators.'You can look at the statistics and see that the annual elevator accidents are very small. Everyone understands the problem and that's why they continue to use the elevator every day. '

Professor Renneberg also shared with Dr. Lee. She said: 'We know elevators are created to serve people and it is safe. So they believe in the achievements of science instead of survival instincts.'