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ELEVATOR PSYCHOLOGY - A behavioral Study for the 21st Century
(Because you need to know)

(July 2001)

INTRODUCTION:

There are many intricate psychological "issues" involved in the interpersonal and highly complex, interaction required daily as part of the function of the processional floor to floor automated personnel conveyance, better known as Riding The Elevator. What follows, is the result of a highly extensive and detailed, privately funded and administered study of 15 public elevators of various sized buildings in a Southern metropolitan city. The studies were conducted using state-of-the-art surveillance, audio, and video monitoring, as well as personal interaction to conduct pretext polls and test reactions to various situations over a test period of 26 weeks.

THE CAST OF CHARACTERS:

There are several distinct personalities among elevator riders. The most common ones are below. For simplicity, all are referred to in the male gender.

The "Welcome Wagon" (Better known as "The Intrusively Friendly Guy"): This person always faces the crowd, acknowledges and tries to forcibly speak to everyone else on the elevator. This guy is an overly extroverted, very outgoing performer that tries to act as the official "Welcome Wagon" or "Tour Guide" for the elevator trip for everybody else that's on there. If you've got a question about the building or the surrounding area, this is the guy to ask. In the close confines of an elevator, this person will make most people uncomfortable, even though he's just trying to be nice.

The "Creepy Guy": This is the guy that just simply "gives off the vibe" that, deep down inside, he's a creepy, creepy person. You could easily imagine this guy as a stalker or possibly even a murderer, just by the way he behaves. He's "checking out" everybody he sees, and seemingly undressing them with his eyes. He appears to be unaffected by the fact that people are openly creeped out by being near him. He is likely to purposely stand extra close to somebody when there's plenty of room in the elevator to do otherwise. He probably gets a thrill in part by causing fear and uneasiness in other people. You can tell in a 30 second elevator ride that you would NOT want this person to live in your neighborhood.

The "Big Shot": This is the guy that always has on the impeccable suit and give off the impression that he is a high level executive for some big corporation. Unfortunately this guy also can easily be confused with the "Asshole", because of his aloof attitude towards all the "little people".

The "Asshole": This is the person that makes a special effort to turn away from everybody else on the elevator. He doesn't look at anybody or anything, but does exactly the opposite and tries to avoid any and all forms of personal interaction. This guy won't even acknowledge that there is another person in the entire world, much less on the elevator with him. Even if somebody says hello to this person, he'll simply act like nothing was said.

The "Primper": Not always women, as some would suspect, but this person walks the fine line between vain and self-conscious. Even when other people are on the elevator, this person will not hesitate to look for the closest reflective surface on the elevator wall or ceiling, then start checking to make sure their clothes are straight and neat, check out their hair and/or makeup, and even to check their nose for any visibles.

"Mister Stinky": O.K., no description needed - you know these folks too. All you can do is wish for the elevator to hurry up and open up so you can get away from him. (and maybe get your clothes disinfected...)

The "Lost Souls": Not only do these people have a hard time figuring out which floor they're going to, you get a distinct impression that they're not even sure if they are in the right building, or maybe even on the correct planet.... They are in desperate need of a "Welcome Wagon" tour guide to help them find their way, or it's likely they should have just stayed at home? Sometimes this guy will just act "odd", like he thinks that there are rats behind the buttons, or that he's under surveillance....

The "Norm": All right. Now that we've gone through all of the above, and yes there are a few interesting behavioral groups not mentioned, but aside from those that have been left out, and aside from those above, what's left? "The Norm", of course! This is almost everybody else that doesn't fit into any of the above descriptions. These folks show little or no "exceptional" behavior, and they are fairly predictable in their standing patterns.

And speaking of "standing patterns"......, with only slight reference to the various behavior/personality types noted above, standing combination patterns is the next topic. Only brief reference is made below to the behavior groups detailed above, because the behavioral and standing pattern combos get a little confusing and unpredictable. If a specific behavioral type is not noted below, then the persons referred to are most likely in the "Norm" category, but also possibly in any combination of the others. Again, it gets pretty complicated and would take a few pages to accurately sort through it all, so the "behavior type" issue is mostly left out below.

STANDING COMBINATION PATTERNS:

For practically every different combination of numbers of elevator, or "Lift" riders, there are clearly defined "standing combination patterns". Each pattern is different, and there are many factors involved to contribute to the differences. Where do you stand when you ride "the lift"? You probably don't even know, but don't worry, I am about to tell you all about it!

ALONE:

If there is only one person on the lift, that person will likely stand in one of 4 places; (1) against the back wall close to the center, (2) facing the front, up against the door, (3) to the left front, or (4) to the right front. There will hardly ever be any exceptions to those patterns. A very small percentage will stand in one of the back corners, but not consistently, only sporadically.

Interesting, a full 47% of all elevator riders, if riding alone, stand against the back wall, mostly to the center. Why? Good question, but even more interestingly, nearly 72% of "back wall standers" are men. The theory is that to take that spot, gives a person a sense of power, i.e., "MY Elevator!" 8 out of 10 of these folks will stand with 1 of 2 classic body language forms; "arms crossed", as if to forbid any other living being from penetrating their shell, or hands to their sides and/or on the rails behind them. The latter have a laid back, but "I'm The King of My World" attitude. Curiously, this standing spot is taken by all but a couple of the various behavioral types. The other 28% of back-standers, women or course, fit the same behavior patterns as the men.

The next group, 29% of all lone lift riders, again primarily men, are "front runners" . They stand face front, up against the door in the center. Why? One word - Impatience. These folks are under pressure, or they think they are, and the pressure of them actually wasting 20 seconds of their busy day on an elevator is almost more than they can stand. They are ready to get off, as soon as they get on. A lot of "Assholes" and "Big Shots" fit this category, but small portions of the other groups do too. A select and predictable few of these folks actually stand with nose and toes less than 8 inches from the elevator door, and these folks are very glad to get onto a mostly full elevator where they can boldly take their face front, toes to the door stance, which will also discourage anyone else from getting on if the lift happens to stop at another floor before getting to the "front runner's" floor.

The other two standing patterns of "left front" and "right front" are virtually equal, with the slightly larger of the two going to the left as they get on. Also notable, the people that follow these two patterns almost never deviate and stand at the rear or at the door. The reason for slightly more going to the left? Most people are right-handed, and 65% of all elevators have only one set of floor buttons - to the left. As these folks get on, they turn left by reflex, and as they keep on turning to the left with their natural rotation, they comfortably can hit their floor button with their right hand. To equal out that mix, a small percentage of right-handed people on lifts with to-the-left buttons, hit their floor backhanded with their left hand, then turn to their right and stand to the right side (right as you are facing into the elevator). 95 out of 100 lefties go instinctively to the right, regardless of where the buttons are.

As a "P.S." on this subject - If you stand by the buttons, you will be asked to push the floor button by only 8% of all other people (mostly "big shots", of course) that are getting on the lift with you. The others will practically trample you for the honor to push their own button themselves. It's hard to figure out the reasoning behind those 92%, and some are more insistently odd about pushing their own button than others, but it might just be a Southern cultural thing.

JOINING ANOTHER RIDER

When you start tracking the standing patterns of folks getting onto an elevator that already has a rider, it starts getting complicated. Some folks can't follow their usual patterns, because there's already somebody in their "space".

If the already present rider is at the back, as nearly half will be, normal "back standers" that get on to join them will take the left or right side, pretty much equally divided. About 2 out of 100 "back standers" will actually squeeze in to the space and go to one of the two back corners, as sort of a Turf-War gesture. In that situation, the other person usually moves to one side or the other. For lefties and righties that enter an elevator that has a middle "back stander" in it, their patterns will not change. However, those interesting folks that are normally front runners", surprisingly change their usual patterns and will still stand to the front, but will stay to one side or the other, as if to allow room so that the "back stander" won't have his line of vision out the elevator door to be blocked.

If the already present rider is to the left or the right, a normal "back stander" that gets on will go straight to his usual spot at the back. Nothing changes for him. Lefties and Righties will take the opposite side of the already present rider, regardless of what their usual preference is. About 5% of normal Lefties or Righties, all men, will go to the back. The assumption from this pattern is that subconsciously they are upset that someone has taken their usual spot.

When the already present rider is a "front runner", he'll step aside to let the second rider in, then will go back to his usual spot. In this situation, the second rider will always go to their usual spot unless, by chance, they are also a front runner. If that's the case, there's going to be trouble.... Not really, but the second front runner will stand to the front, either side, and normally will face towards the first front runner, as if to show their disdain for the first front runner.

JOINING MORE THAN ONE OTHER RIDER:

If there are already 2 or 3 other riders on an elevator, the patterns are pretty predictable. Mostly, the new rider will simply fill in one of the open slots in the normal standing pattern. However, if there are 4 riders already on, and none of them is a front runner, 90% of new riders will most always become a front runner, regardless of their usual preferences. A very slight few will squeeze in right next to somebody, and a surprising large number of folks that just gained a new neighbor, will actually move to a new spot, understandably shocked and disgusted over the intrusion of course. When the Lift is really getting full, practically every time a new rider gets on, the whole group will nervously shift to try and anticipate where the new rider will want to stand. They rarely actually move to a new spot, they just shift around where they are standing. No patterns develop other than the nervous shifting, when there are 4 or more folks on the elevator.

PSYCHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS OF LIFT RIDERS, AND THE RULES:

Riding an elevator can be a psychologically draining experience for riders that don't usually ride Lifts - you know, "country folk". Even experienced City Folks tend to have psychological issues while riding the elevator. I'm not talking about those poor individuals in our world that have a true, mental illness either, I'm talking about the general population. There are many unspoken rules and issues involved in the simple process of riding a conveyance from one part of a building to another. So many, in fact, that I can't possibly discuss them all here in enough detail, but what follows is a brief explanation of some of the issues that cause the most psychological stress for Lift riders. These issues include things such as right-of-way, talking, eye contact, body language, the "standing positions" noted above, and an overall general feeling of awkwardness that comes from simply not knowing how to act in a given situation.

RIGHT-OF-WAY - THE RULES:

Just who, exactly has the right-of-way? Do people getting in the Lift (innies) have more of a right of passage than those that are getting out (outies) of the Lift? Does our gentlemanly Southern society rule of "Ladies First" always apply? What about kids? What about delivery people like FedEx or UPS? Who has the rights? In the 200+ years of civilized American society, nobody has EVER written rules for this or the other issues that I noted above. There are books, seminars, and even college level courses on proper etiquette for business dinners, dating, and general societal etiquette rules, etc., but nothing about the use of elevators! To do my part to help ease the psychological impact of riding an elevator, I have established some general "Rules". Following would be my preferred set of rules for "right-of-way" issues based on how the various situations were handled during our observation:

1. Innies or Outies? Outies, of course, in all situations. Those that are getting out of the Lift have to make room for those that are getting in. Obvious, huh? Some people just don't get it, though, and after the elevator has fully loaded, they'll stop the closing door so that they can get out, holding everybody up in the process.

2. Generally speaking, the "ladies first" rules most always apply in all situations. (But try explaining that to a Front Runner....)

3. Children will go whenever there is an "opening" in the door way. No need to set rules for kids because they would never read the rules, and certainly wouldn't follow them. They're pretty quick anyway, so you hardly notice them unless there's a whole bunch of them.

4. Delivery workers? They should wait, and only get on if there's more than enough room. If this becomes a big problem for delivery workers and they start complaining to the building that they are having to wait too long for the elevator so that they can make their deliveries, then they probably need a service elevator anyway, and complaints will help convince the building to install one. This might be an opportunity for the building manager to show the delivery folks where the existing service elevator is.... Don't worry about them, they will be just fine. Some of them are paid by the hour anyway, so they get paid to wait.

5. People with "Stuff", that are not delivery company employees? They are right behind ladies in the hierarchy, because they most likely work in the building, and most likely don't usually carry packages in and out. Give them a break - they are out of their element already.

6. Senior Citizens, you ask? They "should" have the ultimate right-of-way, because they're old and they've earned it, but they will generally wait until everybody coming and going has made their moves, and then they will go. So, whether coming or going, if a Senior Citizen does not make an immediate move to get in or out, do not wait, just go. Otherwise there will be one of those uncomfortable standoffs like at a 4-way stop while driving through a small town.

Now that everybody is clear about those "Right-of-Way rules", it's time to move on to the next exciting topic.

TALKING:

What is the rule for talking on an elevator? Simply said, don't. Most people don't like the intrusion of the "Welcome Wagon" guy. Don't try to spark up an conversation with a stranger on an elevator unless you want to annoy them, because nobody wants a seemingly forced, small-talk conversation, especially with a stranger. Also, a peculiar fact, if people are talking with each other while getting on the elevator, they might not realize it, but they will stop talking as soon as the doors close. That's probably best, because after all, conversations are a private thing. There are obviously a few exceptions to this, and some personality/behavior types that can do it without causing any distress to the other riders. On the other hand, if you WANT to make somebody really uncomfortable, strike up a conversation. Try, "Hey, who do you work for in this building?" Or even better, look up at somebody and say, "I love cheese." Just say it clearly and everybody will be scrambling to get off of the Lift. Actually, don't try that - it's not very polite... Some people (you know the ones from above) won' t even acknowledge that you've said anything....that'll make for a cool ride to your floor! As a good example of the above, we observed a group of 7 men, all loudly joking and talking while getting on to an elevator with one other passenger already on it. When they were all on, they completely stopped making any sound at all as soon as the doors closed. They didn't seem to even be breathing! However, when the stranger that was on the Lift got off and the doors closed back, they immediately started back up with their joking, laughing, and talking, etc.

EYE CONTACT:

The polite rule when joining another rider is to make eye contact and give them a nod, to acknowledge their presence, but as noted above, don't talk. Nearly 55% of people already on a lift will subconsciously try to make eye contact with nearly every new person that gets on. After the initial look/not, they usually look away and don't look back. The exception, a small percentage of riders will continue to look at others, stare, or "shop" for other eye contact opportunities.

LOOKING:

With all of the above being said, where do riders look? The generally accepted patterns are floor lookers, ceiling lookers, door lookers, button lookers. Button lookers are those that simply stare at the floor buttons, and floor-number lookers are those that stare at the floor numbers over the door as they go up or down. Split almost evenly at 40% to 40% are button lookers and floor number lookers. The remaining 20% is sporadically split between the other usual options, remembering, of course, that slightly less than 4% of that 20% actually stare at the other people on the Lift.

Where do folks look if they are the only one on the Lift? Usually at themselves, (and not just the "primpers") either through a mirrored ceiling, wall, or shined metallic back plate behind the floor buttons. 84% will take at least one look in the mirror if one is available - a vain society, yes it is.

CONCLUSION:

So.......Why did this subject need to be studied in depth, written about and posted on the internet for all of our world citizens to read? Because everybody needs to know EVERYTHING, and this is a subject that is rarely written about.

Everybody needs to understand the answer to the question of "Why is there so much oddly interesting behavior from the usually "normal" (creepy guy not included...) people when they are using an elevator? Why don't people just act like they do in the Supermarket or at a ball game?"

The answer? The climax for all of the above data? Very Simple: Two words - Personal Space. People like to maintain a 24 inch aura of personal space around themselves, and when that is encroached on, it makes them feel uneasy and uncomfortable. An elevator is a small and confined space, so it's quite common that the average person will have their personal space encroached upon...Be gentle, would you?

Of course you already knew all of this, didn't you? So did you actually waste 10 minutes of your life reading this essay to find out something you already knew? Of course you did! What a dummy you are, but thanks for stopping by anyway!!.

P.S. - A Suggestion: To make sure that you "fit in" while using an elevator, always push the up, down, and floor number buttons several times, even if they are already lit up, because everybody knows that the faster and more times that the buttons are pushed, the faster the elevator goes - like a video game.

(Oh, and I almost forgot - Do you have any idea how many people actually really pick their nose when they are alone on an elevator? It's amazing, but I didn't give the details because it would be too shocking for the general public.....)

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