WEBVTT
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You're listening to Wait, why do we do that?
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The strange stories behind completely normal things.
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This time, why do elevators have a closed door button?
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Now to explain the origin of it all.
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Here's Steve.
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You get into an elevator, you press your floor.
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The doors remain open, so you press the closed door button.
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Nothing.
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You press it again.
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Still nothing.
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So naturally, you press it six more times.
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Because perhaps the elevator didn't understand the urgency of the first seven.
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Come on.
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Close, close, just close.
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And eventually the doors close.
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Success! You did it! Or did you?
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Because there's a surprisingly persistent claim about elevator closed door buttons, that many of them don't actually do anything.
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They're placebo buttons.
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Decorative.
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Something for impatient people to press while the elevator quietly follows its own schedule.
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Which, if true, raises an important question.
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Why put the button there?
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Why give me a button?
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Label it closed door.
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Let me press it.
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Light it up, and then completely ignore me.
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That's not a control.
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That's therapy.
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So, wait, why do we do that?
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Let's deal with the big claim first.
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You've probably heard some version of this.
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The closed door button in elevators doesn't work, and like many wonderfully satisfying facts.
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It's not quite true.
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Some closed door buttons absolutely work.
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Some may work only after a timer has expired.
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Some can be configured so they don't shorten the normal passenger door cycle.
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Some behave differently depending on the elevator's programming, and some become very important when the elevator is placed into special operating modes.
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So there isn't one universal answer, which is disappointing.
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I was hoping to uncover a global conspiracy run by Big Elevator.
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Apparently not.
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Although that is exactly what Big Elevator would want me to say.
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The important point is this.
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The button can be physically connected and completely functional, while still appearing to ignore you, because the elevator has other rules.
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And apparently, your desire to reach the lobby six seconds earlier is not at the top of the list.
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To understand why the button is there at all, we need to go back to when elevators weren't something you operated yourself.
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They had people, elevator operators.
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You stepped inside and told someone which floor you wanted.
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The operator controlled the elevator.
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They opened and closed the doors.
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They handled the journey, and crucially, they had actual authority.
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Imagine that.
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You entered an elevator, and instead of silently staring at the numbers above the door, you interacted with another human being.
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Terrifying.
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Elevator technology gradually became more automated.
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Push-button systems appeared, electronic control improved, automatic doors arrived, and by the middle of the 20th century, operatorless elevators were becoming practical.
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The job disappeared.
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The passenger got the buttons, which seems like progress.
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Except we've now replaced a trained elevator operator, with eight strangers repeatedly pressing the same illuminated button.
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That's what they call efficiency.
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And people weren't immediately thrilled about this.
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Today we walk into an elevator without thinking about it.
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Doors close.
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Small room gets pulled hundreds of feet through a concrete shaft.
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Perfectly normal.
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But when automatic elevators were introduced, you were asking people to enter a box that moved vertically through a building, without the reassuring presence of the person whose entire job was make sure box doesn't kill Steve.
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The controls therefore mattered.
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Buttons gave passengers a sense of participation.
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Press a floor, open the door, close the door.
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Alarm.
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You weren't simply cargo.
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You had agency, or at least a beautifully illuminated impression of agency.
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And that turns out to be rather important, because humans like control.
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Even when the machine has already made most of the decisions.
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Especially when the machine has already made most of the decisions.
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Modern elevator doors don't simply think.
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Steve pressed close.
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Let's go.
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They operate according to program timing, sensors, safety requirements, and accessibility rules.
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In the United States, accessible elevators have minimum timing requirements.
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Doors must remain fully open for a minimum period in response to a car call.
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There's also required timing between notification that an elevator has arrived and when its doors can begin closing.
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And the doors need reopening systems that detect obstructions.
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In other words, the elevator has procedures.
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You have a button, the elevator has compliance.
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Guess who's winning?
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You can stand there hammering close door like you're launching nuclear weapons.
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But if the elevator's logic says no, Margaret at the end of the corridor still needs reasonable time to reach us, then you're waiting for Margaret.
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And frankly, Margaret doesn't look like she's in a hurry.
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And this helps explain why people think the button is fake.
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You press it, nothing obvious happens.
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Then, a few seconds later, the doors close.
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Was that you?
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Was that the timer?
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Did the button shorten something?
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Would the doors have closed at exactly the same moment anyway?
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You don't know.
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There's no confirmation screen.
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No message saying, Thank you, Steve.
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Your request to close the door has been received.
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Current position and cue, one.
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The doors just eventually close.
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So we do what humans always do when cause and effect aren't obvious.
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We invent a theory.
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The button doesn't work.
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Then somebody tells somebody else.
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Then it appears online.
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Then suddenly every closed door button in America is a fake psychological device installed purely to entertain impatient office workers.
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The truth is more complicated, which is normally the case, but rarely as satisfying.
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One reason the doors may not immediately snap shut is accessibility.
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Elevators have to work for people who move at different speeds.
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Someone using a wheelchair, someone with a cane.
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Someone with limited mobility, someone carrying something.
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Someone who simply isn't prepared to sprint across a lobby because Steve has a meeting at nine.
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The US accessibility standards include minimum door and signal timing.
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They also require automatic reopening systems, so your close door button doesn't necessarily get to override everything.
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Which makes sense.
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Imagine the alternative.
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Margaret is halfway toward the elevator.
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Steve.
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Sorry, Margaret, I've pressed the button.
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Democracy has spoken.
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Doors close.
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Good luck.
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That's probably not the transportation system we want.
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Here's the interesting bit.
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The accessibility rules don't say the closed door button must be useless.
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In fact, current accessibility guidance specifically recognizes user activation of door close in the door timing system.
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It can affect when the doors close once certain minimum requirements have been satisfied.
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So the internet version.
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Closed door buttons are fake because of the ADA is far too simplistic.
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The ADA didn't declare war on elevator buttons.
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The system just has minimum requirements that can't be casually eliminated because somebody on floor 14 is late for lunch.
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So depending on the elevator, pressing closed door may indeed shorten the weight.
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Or it may not, or it may not yet, which means every time you press it, you're effectively gambling, not for money, for approximately three seconds.
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Las Vegas.
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But with fluorescent lighting.
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And while we're here, we need to discuss repeated button pressing.
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Because humans do this everywhere.
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Elevators, pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, printers, computers.
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If a device doesn't immediately obey, press the button again.
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And harder.
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The first press was apparently informational.
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The seventh communicates intent.
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We've all watched someone attack an elevator panel.
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Close, close, close, close.
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Sir, the elevator knows the button is illuminated, your request has entered the system.
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You're not negotiating with it.
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And yet, I do exactly the same thing, because somewhere deep inside the human brain is the belief that machines respond to enthusiasm.
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This is also why we click a frozen computer program fifteen times.
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Which doesn't fix it.
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It merely ensures that when the computer finally recovers, it has fifteen additional problems to deal with.
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But the closed door button has another function.
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It reveals who you really are.
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You're inside the elevator, the doors are open.
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Someone appears at the far end of the lobby.
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They see you.
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You see them?
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And now we have a situation.
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Do you press door open or do you press door close?
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There is no neutral choice anymore.
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This is a moral examination.
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Door open says, I acknowledge our shared humanity.
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Door close says, I wish you well in your future vertical transportation endeavors.
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And timing matters.
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If they're thirty feet away, hold it.
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Fifty feet?
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Maybe?
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Seventy five feet?
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Now we're negotiating.
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At some point holding an elevator stops being polite and becomes kidnapping everyone already inside.
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There are six people behind you thinking, Steve, let them get the next one.
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But you've committed now.
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You're a door open guy, you have principles.
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Meanwhile, the person approaching starts doing that strange half run.
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Not quite running, not quite walking.
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The universal physical expression of thank you, but I also wish you hadn't made me do this.
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Of course, there is a darker possibility you see someone coming.
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You press close door, and they know you pressed close door.
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Now you have approximately four seconds of sustained eye contact while two metal panels slowly reveal your character.
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That's a long four seconds.
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You can't pretend you didn't see them.
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They saw you see them.
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You saw them see you seeing them, and the doors are moving very very slowly.
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At that point you might as well wave.
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Sorry, apparently the button works.
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And then the doors reopen.
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Because they reach the sensor.
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Excellent.
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Now they're getting into the elevator with you, and you're going to floor seventeen together.
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This is why stairs were invented.
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But here's where the closed door button earns its place on the panel.
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Elevators have special operating modes.
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One is often called independent service.
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This can be used when an elevator needs to be temporarily removed from normal passenger traffic.
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Moving furniture, for example, a hospital, transporting something, building operations.
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Special circumstances.
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In independent service, an elevator may ignore normal haul calls.
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And the doors can remain open until an operator deliberately closes them.
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How?
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The closed door button.
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Often you have to hold it.
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Suddenly our apparently decorative little button has been promoted.
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Normal passenger mode.
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Thank you for your suggestion.
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Independent service, you have the Khan, Captain Kirk, same button, very different authority.
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It becomes even more important during firefighter operation.
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Elevators can have special fire service modes that give train personnel direct control over aspects of the elevator.
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And in those modes, door open and door close aren't decorative suggestions.
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They can require deliberate sustained operation.
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The firefighter may need to hold the closed door button until the doors are fully closed, release it too early, and the doors can reopen.
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That's a very different world from me impatiently pressing it, because someone has stopped on floor six.
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So the button isn't necessarily there just for you, it's part of a control system with multiple operating modes.
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You happen to have access to it.
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Rather like the emergency brake on a train, except please don't experiment with that.
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So, if the button sometimes has limited usefulness during ordinary passenger operation, why leave it visible?
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Because it still has legitimate functions.
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Because elevator configurations differ.
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Because service modes need it, because passengers understand what it means.
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And because standardization matters.
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Imagine every elevator having a completely different control philosophy.
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Building A, open or close.
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Building B, open, maybe close.
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Building C, please submit a door closure request through the app.
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Building D.
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QR code, building E.
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Subscription required, door close plus$4.99 a month.
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Cancel anytime.
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Actually, give it a few years and there probably will be an app with subscription to control the door, and it'll probably be quite popular.
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But standardized controls are useful.
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You walk into an unfamiliar elevator and understand the basic interface.
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Floor numbers, door open, door close, alarm.
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And one button you're desperately hoping never becomes relevant.
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Here's another reason closed door feels suspicious.
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Door open tends to produce a very obvious result.
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Doors closing, press open.
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Doors reopen.
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Instant feedback?
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Wonderful.
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Press close?
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Hmm, maybe.
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Give it a moment.
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We're thinking this creates an unfair comparison.
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Open feels powerful.
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Close feels like emailing customer service.
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And there is a safety logic behind that asymmetry.
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Opening a door is generally the conservative action.
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Closing it potentially introduces risk.
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Someone may be entering, something may be obstructing the doorway.
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So the system is naturally more cautious about closing than opening, which means that two buttons may look like equals, but they're not.
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Door open is management.
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Door close is an intern with a suggestion.
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Now this brings us to a much bigger idea: placebo buttons.
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Controls that give people a feeling of agency even when their actual influence is limited or non-existent.
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The elevator closed door button frequently gets used as the classic example.
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And there are similar claims about pedestrian crossing buttons and office thermostats.
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Some genuinely control something, some only work under certain conditions.
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Some may have been disconnected, some interact with larger automated systems in ways that aren't immediately visible.
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So we should be careful about declaring every button that doesn't instantly obey us a placebo.
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But the psychological idea is fascinating.
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We like having something to do.
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Waiting feels different when we believe we're participating.
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Pressing a button transforms, I am waiting for the elevator.
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Into, I have instructed the elevator, that's much better.
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We're no longer helpless.
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We're management.
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Admittedly.
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Management whose instructions are being ignored.
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But still, management.
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Elevator companies learn something important very early.
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People don't just care how long they wait.
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They care how long they feel they're waiting.
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This is why elevator design isn't only about motors and cables, it's also about human behavior.
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Mirrors in elevator lobbies and cars have historically been discussed as ways of occupying people's attention.
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Displays tell us where the elevator is, arrows tell us which one is coming, lights confirm our button press.
00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:57.120
Dings tell us something is happening.
00:14:57.360 --> 00:14:59.360
All of this reduces uncertainty.
00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:01.919
Because waiting without information feels longer.
00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:03.200
You've experienced this.
00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:06.080
Five minutes when you know something will arrive in five minutes?
00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:06.960
Fine.
00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:08.240
Five minutes.
00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:11.679
Staring at a closed door, wondering whether anything is happening.
00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:13.840
Civilization begins to collapse.
00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:16.639
After about 90 seconds you start examining the button.
00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:17.600
Did I press it?
00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:18.159
Yes.
00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:19.200
The light is on.
00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:20.559
Press it again anyway.
00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:21.279
Excellent.
00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:22.559
We've achieved nothing.
00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:25.440
But emotionally, we're back in control.
00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:29.440
Elevators also have an entire unwritten social operating system.
00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:32.240
People exit before people enter, usually.
00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:35.279
You stand facing the door, nobody knows why.
00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:36.960
You avoid eye contact.
00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:39.919
You suddenly become extremely interested in the floor indicator.
00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.159
Two, three, four.
00:15:42.480 --> 00:15:43.440
Fascinating.
00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:45.200
Never seen numbers before.
00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:49.759
If the elevator is crowded, somebody near the buttons becomes the unofficial operator.
00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:50.960
What floor?
00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:51.519
Seven?
00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:52.159
Twelve?
00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:52.879
Fourteen?
00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:54.879
Suddenly you're employed by Otis.
00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:55.759
No salary?
00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:56.799
No benefits.
00:15:57.039 --> 00:16:00.159
And then someone asks for the floor you're already going to.
00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:03.600
You still press it, because saying it's already selected.
00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:06.320
Somehow feels unnecessarily confrontational.
00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:08.799
So you press the illuminated twelve again.
00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:09.360
There.
00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:11.840
Extra twelve, you're welcome.
00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:13.840
Actually, think about this.
00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:15.120
You enter an elevator.
00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:16.080
What do you do?
00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:17.200
Turn around?
00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:18.559
Face the doors.
00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:19.919
Everyone does it.
00:16:20.159 --> 00:16:25.600
Imagine getting into an elevator, walking to the back, turning around and facing everyone else.
00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:26.320
Don't.
00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:29.360
You've just turned transportation into a hostage situation.
00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:31.519
Nobody teaches us elevator behavior.
00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:33.679
There's no induction, no handbook.
00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.120
Yet somehow we all know.
00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:37.440
Face forward, don't talk too much.
00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:39.039
Don't stand too close.
00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:40.720
Let people out first.
00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:45.440
Pretend you're not concerned when the elevator makes a slightly different noise than usual.
00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:48.799
And whatever happens, do not say that's strange.
00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:50.159
Nobody needs that.
00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:52.480
So you're in an elevator tomorrow.
00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:53.759
You press close door.
00:16:53.919 --> 00:16:54.639
Does it work?
00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:55.519
Possibly.
00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:56.159
I know.
00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:59.759
After an entire episode, that's incredibly unsatisfying.
00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:01.279
But it's the accurate answer.
00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:02.720
It depends on the elevator.
00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:10.079
Its configuration, its programming, the timing cycle, the operating mode, and potentially where you are.
00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:15.759
The important thing is that the sweeping claim closed door buttons don't work is wrong.
00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:17.359
Some absolutely do.
00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:20.559
Others may not do what you expect during normal operation.
00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:24.400
And the same button can become essential under special operating modes.
00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:27.519
So perhaps the right question isn't does the button work?
00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:31.839
It's under what circumstances is the elevator prepared to listen to me?
00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:37.440
Which, frankly, is a much more realistic description of my relationship with most technology.
00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:40.640
And that's what makes the closed door button so interesting.
00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:44.480
It's not really a story about elevators, it's a story about us.
00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:50.960
We don't like waiting, we don't like uncertainty, and we really don't like machines making decisions on our behalf.
00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:54.000
So give us a button, and we'll press it.
00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:56.799
If nothing happens, we'll press it again.
00:17:57.039 --> 00:18:00.240
If still nothing happens, we'll press it harder.
00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:05.440
Because somewhere inside all of us is the absolute conviction that the machine hasn't failed.
00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:08.319
It simply hasn't understood how serious we are.
00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:10.400
The button gives us agency.
00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:16.400
Sometimes real, sometimes delayed, sometimes conditional, sometimes perhaps none at all.
00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:21.519
But psychologically, we're doing something, and apparently that's enough.
00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:24.960
So, why do elevators have a closed door button?
00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:31.599
Because elevator controls evolved as passengers took over jobs once performed by human operators.
00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:35.119
Because different elevator systems use the button differently.
00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:40.640
Because accessibility and safety requirements can limit when doors are allowed to close.
00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:47.519
Because special modes such as independent service and firefighter operation may depend on deliberate door control.
00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:52.880
And yes, sometimes pressing it during normal operation really can make the doors close sooner.
00:18:53.119 --> 00:19:03.039
Other times, the elevator has heard your request, reviewed it carefully, and decided to proceed on its original schedule, which means the button isn't necessarily fake.
00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:05.359
It just doesn't necessarily report to you.
00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:12.000
So the next time you step into an elevator, press your floor, press close door, once and wait.
00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:14.319
You don't need to hit it fourteen times.
00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:15.839
The elevator knows.
00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:24.000
And if somebody appears at the far end of the lobby, well, that's between you, the door open button, and your conscience.
00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:25.359
I'm Steve.
00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:28.799
And apparently there's a reason for almost everything.
00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:31.519
Even if it isn't a particularly good one.
00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:10.400
You're listening to Wait, why do we do that?
00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:13.199
The strange stories behind completely normal things.
00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:17.359
This time, why do elevators have a closed door button?
00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:19.839
Now to explain the origin of it all.
00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:21.199
Here's Steve.
00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:25.280
You get into an elevator, you press your floor.
00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:28.719
The doors remain open, so you press the closed door button.
00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:29.519
Nothing.
00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:30.960
You press it again.
00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:32.000
Still nothing.
00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:35.600
So naturally, you press it six more times.
00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:39.600
Because perhaps the elevator didn't understand the urgency of the first seven.
00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:40.399
Come on.
00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:42.479
Close, close, just close.
00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:44.640
And eventually the doors close.
00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:48.399
Success! You did it! Or did you?
00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:54.799
Because there's a surprisingly persistent claim about elevator closed door buttons, that many of them don't actually do anything.
00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:56.479
They're placebo buttons.
00:00:56.799 --> 00:00:57.600
Decorative.
00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:02.399
Something for impatient people to press while the elevator quietly follows its own schedule.
00:01:02.560 --> 00:01:04.640
Which, if true, raises an important question.
00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:06.079
Why put the button there?
00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:07.280
Why give me a button?
00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:08.879
Label it closed door.
00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:10.079
Let me press it.
00:01:10.239 --> 00:01:12.719
Light it up, and then completely ignore me.
00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:14.000
That's not a control.
00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:15.200
That's therapy.
00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:18.159
So, wait, why do we do that?
00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:20.480
Let's deal with the big claim first.
00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:22.640
You've probably heard some version of this.
00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:28.400
The closed door button in elevators doesn't work, and like many wonderfully satisfying facts.
00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:29.840
It's not quite true.
00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:32.879
Some closed door buttons absolutely work.
00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:35.680
Some may work only after a timer has expired.
00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:40.000
Some can be configured so they don't shorten the normal passenger door cycle.
00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:47.680
Some behave differently depending on the elevator's programming, and some become very important when the elevator is placed into special operating modes.
00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:52.239
So there isn't one universal answer, which is disappointing.
00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:56.079
I was hoping to uncover a global conspiracy run by Big Elevator.
00:01:56.319 --> 00:01:57.439
Apparently not.
00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:01.359
Although that is exactly what Big Elevator would want me to say.
00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:03.120
The important point is this.
00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:11.919
The button can be physically connected and completely functional, while still appearing to ignore you, because the elevator has other rules.
00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:18.800
And apparently, your desire to reach the lobby six seconds earlier is not at the top of the list.
00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:25.039
To understand why the button is there at all, we need to go back to when elevators weren't something you operated yourself.
00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:27.599
They had people, elevator operators.
00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:30.560
You stepped inside and told someone which floor you wanted.
00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:32.639
The operator controlled the elevator.
00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:34.560
They opened and closed the doors.
00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:39.039
They handled the journey, and crucially, they had actual authority.
00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:40.159
Imagine that.
00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:47.280
You entered an elevator, and instead of silently staring at the numbers above the door, you interacted with another human being.
00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:48.479
Terrifying.
00:02:48.719 --> 00:02:51.599
Elevator technology gradually became more automated.
00:02:51.759 --> 00:03:02.000
Push-button systems appeared, electronic control improved, automatic doors arrived, and by the middle of the 20th century, operatorless elevators were becoming practical.
00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:03.439
The job disappeared.
00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:07.120
The passenger got the buttons, which seems like progress.
00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:14.080
Except we've now replaced a trained elevator operator, with eight strangers repeatedly pressing the same illuminated button.
00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:16.159
That's what they call efficiency.
00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:18.879
And people weren't immediately thrilled about this.
00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.080
Today we walk into an elevator without thinking about it.
00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:23.360
Doors close.
00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:28.000
Small room gets pulled hundreds of feet through a concrete shaft.
00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:29.439
Perfectly normal.
00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:42.080
But when automatic elevators were introduced, you were asking people to enter a box that moved vertically through a building, without the reassuring presence of the person whose entire job was make sure box doesn't kill Steve.
00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:44.000
The controls therefore mattered.
00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:46.960
Buttons gave passengers a sense of participation.
00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:49.919
Press a floor, open the door, close the door.
00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:50.719
Alarm.
00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:52.319
You weren't simply cargo.
00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:57.120
You had agency, or at least a beautifully illuminated impression of agency.
00:03:57.280 --> 00:04:00.960
And that turns out to be rather important, because humans like control.
00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:05.039
Even when the machine has already made most of the decisions.
00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:08.080
Especially when the machine has already made most of the decisions.
00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:10.400
Modern elevator doors don't simply think.
00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:11.840
Steve pressed close.
00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:12.800
Let's go.
00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:18.879
They operate according to program timing, sensors, safety requirements, and accessibility rules.
00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:23.279
In the United States, accessible elevators have minimum timing requirements.
00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:27.519
Doors must remain fully open for a minimum period in response to a car call.
00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:33.759
There's also required timing between notification that an elevator has arrived and when its doors can begin closing.
00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:37.360
And the doors need reopening systems that detect obstructions.
00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:40.079
In other words, the elevator has procedures.
00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:42.720
You have a button, the elevator has compliance.
00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:43.920
Guess who's winning?
00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:48.399
You can stand there hammering close door like you're launching nuclear weapons.
00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:55.839
But if the elevator's logic says no, Margaret at the end of the corridor still needs reasonable time to reach us, then you're waiting for Margaret.
00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.680
And frankly, Margaret doesn't look like she's in a hurry.
00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:03.199
And this helps explain why people think the button is fake.
00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:05.759
You press it, nothing obvious happens.
00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:09.120
Then, a few seconds later, the doors close.
00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:10.079
Was that you?
00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:11.360
Was that the timer?
00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:13.040
Did the button shorten something?
00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:16.160
Would the doors have closed at exactly the same moment anyway?
00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:17.199
You don't know.
00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:18.800
There's no confirmation screen.
00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:21.040
No message saying, Thank you, Steve.
00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:23.759
Your request to close the door has been received.
00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:26.240
Current position and cue, one.
00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:29.040
The doors just eventually close.
00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:32.319
So we do what humans always do when cause and effect aren't obvious.
00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:33.519
We invent a theory.
00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:35.199
The button doesn't work.
00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:37.519
Then somebody tells somebody else.
00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:39.120
Then it appears online.
00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:46.800
Then suddenly every closed door button in America is a fake psychological device installed purely to entertain impatient office workers.
00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:52.000
The truth is more complicated, which is normally the case, but rarely as satisfying.
00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:55.920
One reason the doors may not immediately snap shut is accessibility.
00:05:56.160 --> 00:05:59.279
Elevators have to work for people who move at different speeds.
00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:02.240
Someone using a wheelchair, someone with a cane.
00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:05.839
Someone with limited mobility, someone carrying something.
00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:11.839
Someone who simply isn't prepared to sprint across a lobby because Steve has a meeting at nine.
00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:16.399
The US accessibility standards include minimum door and signal timing.
00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:23.920
They also require automatic reopening systems, so your close door button doesn't necessarily get to override everything.
00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:25.199
Which makes sense.
00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:26.800
Imagine the alternative.
00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:29.279
Margaret is halfway toward the elevator.
00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:30.079
Steve.
00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:32.319
Sorry, Margaret, I've pressed the button.
00:06:32.480 --> 00:06:33.759
Democracy has spoken.
00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:34.879
Doors close.
00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:35.680
Good luck.
00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:38.639
That's probably not the transportation system we want.
00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:40.079
Here's the interesting bit.
00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:44.800
The accessibility rules don't say the closed door button must be useless.
00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:51.759
In fact, current accessibility guidance specifically recognizes user activation of door close in the door timing system.
00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:56.480
It can affect when the doors close once certain minimum requirements have been satisfied.
00:06:56.720 --> 00:06:58.000
So the internet version.
00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:03.279
Closed door buttons are fake because of the ADA is far too simplistic.
00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:06.720
The ADA didn't declare war on elevator buttons.
00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:14.399
The system just has minimum requirements that can't be casually eliminated because somebody on floor 14 is late for lunch.
00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:19.040
So depending on the elevator, pressing closed door may indeed shorten the weight.
00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:28.240
Or it may not, or it may not yet, which means every time you press it, you're effectively gambling, not for money, for approximately three seconds.
00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:29.759
Las Vegas.
00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:32.160
But with fluorescent lighting.
00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:36.480
And while we're here, we need to discuss repeated button pressing.
00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:38.480
Because humans do this everywhere.
00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:43.680
Elevators, pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, printers, computers.
00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:47.120
If a device doesn't immediately obey, press the button again.
00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:48.079
And harder.
00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:50.560
The first press was apparently informational.
00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:52.879
The seventh communicates intent.
00:07:53.040 --> 00:07:55.839
We've all watched someone attack an elevator panel.
00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:58.319
Close, close, close, close.
00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:04.160
Sir, the elevator knows the button is illuminated, your request has entered the system.
00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:06.000
You're not negotiating with it.
00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:13.519
And yet, I do exactly the same thing, because somewhere deep inside the human brain is the belief that machines respond to enthusiasm.
00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:17.360
This is also why we click a frozen computer program fifteen times.
00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:18.800
Which doesn't fix it.
00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:24.560
It merely ensures that when the computer finally recovers, it has fifteen additional problems to deal with.
00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:27.680
But the closed door button has another function.
00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:29.600
It reveals who you really are.
00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:32.159
You're inside the elevator, the doors are open.
00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:34.639
Someone appears at the far end of the lobby.
00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:35.840
They see you.
00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:36.960
You see them?
00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:39.279
And now we have a situation.
00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:42.480
Do you press door open or do you press door close?
00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:44.480
There is no neutral choice anymore.
00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:46.320
This is a moral examination.
00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:50.159
Door open says, I acknowledge our shared humanity.
00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:55.759
Door close says, I wish you well in your future vertical transportation endeavors.
00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:57.200
And timing matters.
00:08:57.360 --> 00:08:59.200
If they're thirty feet away, hold it.
00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:00.000
Fifty feet?
00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:00.480
Maybe?
00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:01.759
Seventy five feet?
00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:03.360
Now we're negotiating.
00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:09.600
At some point holding an elevator stops being polite and becomes kidnapping everyone already inside.
00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:14.480
There are six people behind you thinking, Steve, let them get the next one.
00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:15.679
But you've committed now.
00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:18.399
You're a door open guy, you have principles.
00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:22.480
Meanwhile, the person approaching starts doing that strange half run.
00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:25.039
Not quite running, not quite walking.
00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:30.559
The universal physical expression of thank you, but I also wish you hadn't made me do this.
00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:34.240
Of course, there is a darker possibility you see someone coming.
00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:37.840
You press close door, and they know you pressed close door.
00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:44.000
Now you have approximately four seconds of sustained eye contact while two metal panels slowly reveal your character.
00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:45.759
That's a long four seconds.
00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:47.919
You can't pretend you didn't see them.
00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:49.279
They saw you see them.
00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:54.080
You saw them see you seeing them, and the doors are moving very very slowly.
00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:56.240
At that point you might as well wave.
00:09:56.559 --> 00:09:58.960
Sorry, apparently the button works.
00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:01.279
And then the doors reopen.
00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:03.039
Because they reach the sensor.
00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:03.919
Excellent.
00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:09.039
Now they're getting into the elevator with you, and you're going to floor seventeen together.
00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:11.120
This is why stairs were invented.
00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:14.639
But here's where the closed door button earns its place on the panel.
00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:17.120
Elevators have special operating modes.
00:10:17.279 --> 00:10:19.600
One is often called independent service.
00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:24.480
This can be used when an elevator needs to be temporarily removed from normal passenger traffic.
00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:30.000
Moving furniture, for example, a hospital, transporting something, building operations.
00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:31.919
Special circumstances.
00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:36.159
In independent service, an elevator may ignore normal haul calls.
00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:40.080
And the doors can remain open until an operator deliberately closes them.
00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:40.799
How?
00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:42.320
The closed door button.
00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:43.919
Often you have to hold it.
00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:47.919
Suddenly our apparently decorative little button has been promoted.
00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:49.519
Normal passenger mode.
00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:51.360
Thank you for your suggestion.
00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:57.519
Independent service, you have the Khan, Captain Kirk, same button, very different authority.
00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:00.799
It becomes even more important during firefighter operation.
00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:07.039
Elevators can have special fire service modes that give train personnel direct control over aspects of the elevator.
00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:12.240
And in those modes, door open and door close aren't decorative suggestions.
00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:14.960
They can require deliberate sustained operation.
00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:22.720
The firefighter may need to hold the closed door button until the doors are fully closed, release it too early, and the doors can reopen.
00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:28.559
That's a very different world from me impatiently pressing it, because someone has stopped on floor six.
00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:34.399
So the button isn't necessarily there just for you, it's part of a control system with multiple operating modes.
00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:36.159
You happen to have access to it.
00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:41.120
Rather like the emergency brake on a train, except please don't experiment with that.
00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:48.159
So, if the button sometimes has limited usefulness during ordinary passenger operation, why leave it visible?
00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:50.480
Because it still has legitimate functions.
00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:53.039
Because elevator configurations differ.
00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:57.519
Because service modes need it, because passengers understand what it means.
00:11:57.759 --> 00:11:59.840
And because standardization matters.
00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:04.000
Imagine every elevator having a completely different control philosophy.
00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.080
Building A, open or close.
00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:08.720
Building B, open, maybe close.
00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:12.799
Building C, please submit a door closure request through the app.
00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:14.080
Building D.
00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:16.159
QR code, building E.
00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:21.120
Subscription required, door close plus$4.99 a month.
00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:22.480
Cancel anytime.
00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:29.039
Actually, give it a few years and there probably will be an app with subscription to control the door, and it'll probably be quite popular.
00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:31.360
But standardized controls are useful.
00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:35.519
You walk into an unfamiliar elevator and understand the basic interface.
00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:39.600
Floor numbers, door open, door close, alarm.
00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:43.360
And one button you're desperately hoping never becomes relevant.
00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:46.320
Here's another reason closed door feels suspicious.
00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:49.200
Door open tends to produce a very obvious result.
00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:51.200
Doors closing, press open.
00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:52.320
Doors reopen.
00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:53.519
Instant feedback?
00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:54.080
Wonderful.
00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:55.200
Press close?
00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:56.879
Hmm, maybe.
00:12:57.120 --> 00:12:58.000
Give it a moment.
00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:01.039
We're thinking this creates an unfair comparison.
00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:02.639
Open feels powerful.
00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:05.600
Close feels like emailing customer service.
00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:08.399
And there is a safety logic behind that asymmetry.
00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:11.360
Opening a door is generally the conservative action.
00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:13.919
Closing it potentially introduces risk.
00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:17.759
Someone may be entering, something may be obstructing the doorway.
00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:24.799
So the system is naturally more cautious about closing than opening, which means that two buttons may look like equals, but they're not.
00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:26.720
Door open is management.
00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:29.919
Door close is an intern with a suggestion.
00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:33.919
Now this brings us to a much bigger idea: placebo buttons.
00:13:34.159 --> 00:13:41.200
Controls that give people a feeling of agency even when their actual influence is limited or non-existent.
00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:46.799
The elevator closed door button frequently gets used as the classic example.
00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:51.279
And there are similar claims about pedestrian crossing buttons and office thermostats.
00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:55.840
Some genuinely control something, some only work under certain conditions.
00:13:56.000 --> 00:14:02.080
Some may have been disconnected, some interact with larger automated systems in ways that aren't immediately visible.
00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:07.200
So we should be careful about declaring every button that doesn't instantly obey us a placebo.
00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:09.679
But the psychological idea is fascinating.
00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:11.519
We like having something to do.
00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:14.720
Waiting feels different when we believe we're participating.
00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:18.159
Pressing a button transforms, I am waiting for the elevator.
00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:21.759
Into, I have instructed the elevator, that's much better.
00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:23.120
We're no longer helpless.
00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:24.240
We're management.
00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:25.360
Admittedly.
00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:27.919
Management whose instructions are being ignored.
00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:29.759
But still, management.
00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:32.799
Elevator companies learn something important very early.
00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:35.279
People don't just care how long they wait.
00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:37.600
They care how long they feel they're waiting.
00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:42.799
This is why elevator design isn't only about motors and cables, it's also about human behavior.
00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:48.879
Mirrors in elevator lobbies and cars have historically been discussed as ways of occupying people's attention.
00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:55.120
Displays tell us where the elevator is, arrows tell us which one is coming, lights confirm our button press.
00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:57.120
Dings tell us something is happening.
00:14:57.360 --> 00:14:59.360
All of this reduces uncertainty.
00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:01.919
Because waiting without information feels longer.
00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:03.200
You've experienced this.
00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:06.080
Five minutes when you know something will arrive in five minutes?
00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:06.960
Fine.
00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:08.240
Five minutes.
00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:11.679
Staring at a closed door, wondering whether anything is happening.
00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:13.840
Civilization begins to collapse.
00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:16.639
After about 90 seconds you start examining the button.
00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:17.600
Did I press it?
00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:18.159
Yes.
00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:19.200
The light is on.
00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:20.559
Press it again anyway.
00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:21.279
Excellent.
00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:22.559
We've achieved nothing.
00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:25.440
But emotionally, we're back in control.
00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:29.440
Elevators also have an entire unwritten social operating system.
00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:32.240
People exit before people enter, usually.
00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:35.279
You stand facing the door, nobody knows why.
00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:36.960
You avoid eye contact.
00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:39.919
You suddenly become extremely interested in the floor indicator.
00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.159
Two, three, four.
00:15:42.480 --> 00:15:43.440
Fascinating.
00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:45.200
Never seen numbers before.
00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:49.759
If the elevator is crowded, somebody near the buttons becomes the unofficial operator.
00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:50.960
What floor?
00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:51.519
Seven?
00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:52.159
Twelve?
00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:52.879
Fourteen?
00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:54.879
Suddenly you're employed by Otis.
00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:55.759
No salary?
00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:56.799
No benefits.
00:15:57.039 --> 00:16:00.159
And then someone asks for the floor you're already going to.
00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:03.600
You still press it, because saying it's already selected.
00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:06.320
Somehow feels unnecessarily confrontational.
00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:08.799
So you press the illuminated twelve again.
00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:09.360
There.
00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:11.840
Extra twelve, you're welcome.
00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:13.840
Actually, think about this.
00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:15.120
You enter an elevator.
00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:16.080
What do you do?
00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:17.200
Turn around?
00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:18.559
Face the doors.
00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:19.919
Everyone does it.
00:16:20.159 --> 00:16:25.600
Imagine getting into an elevator, walking to the back, turning around and facing everyone else.
00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:26.320
Don't.
00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:29.360
You've just turned transportation into a hostage situation.
00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:31.519
Nobody teaches us elevator behavior.
00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:33.679
There's no induction, no handbook.
00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.120
Yet somehow we all know.
00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:37.440
Face forward, don't talk too much.
00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:39.039
Don't stand too close.
00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:40.720
Let people out first.
00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:45.440
Pretend you're not concerned when the elevator makes a slightly different noise than usual.
00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:48.799
And whatever happens, do not say that's strange.
00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:50.159
Nobody needs that.
00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:52.480
So you're in an elevator tomorrow.
00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:53.759
You press close door.
00:16:53.919 --> 00:16:54.639
Does it work?
00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:55.519
Possibly.
00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:56.159
I know.
00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:59.759
After an entire episode, that's incredibly unsatisfying.
00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:01.279
But it's the accurate answer.
00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:02.720
It depends on the elevator.
00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:10.079
Its configuration, its programming, the timing cycle, the operating mode, and potentially where you are.
00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:15.759
The important thing is that the sweeping claim closed door buttons don't work is wrong.
00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:17.359
Some absolutely do.
00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:20.559
Others may not do what you expect during normal operation.
00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:24.400
And the same button can become essential under special operating modes.
00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:27.519
So perhaps the right question isn't does the button work?
00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:31.839
It's under what circumstances is the elevator prepared to listen to me?
00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:37.440
Which, frankly, is a much more realistic description of my relationship with most technology.
00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:40.640
And that's what makes the closed door button so interesting.
00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:44.480
It's not really a story about elevators, it's a story about us.
00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:50.960
We don't like waiting, we don't like uncertainty, and we really don't like machines making decisions on our behalf.
00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:54.000
So give us a button, and we'll press it.
00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:56.799
If nothing happens, we'll press it again.
00:17:57.039 --> 00:18:00.240
If still nothing happens, we'll press it harder.
00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:05.440
Because somewhere inside all of us is the absolute conviction that the machine hasn't failed.
00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:08.319
It simply hasn't understood how serious we are.
00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:10.400
The button gives us agency.
00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:16.400
Sometimes real, sometimes delayed, sometimes conditional, sometimes perhaps none at all.
00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:21.519
But psychologically, we're doing something, and apparently that's enough.
00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:24.960
So, why do elevators have a closed door button?
00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:31.599
Because elevator controls evolved as passengers took over jobs once performed by human operators.
00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:35.119
Because different elevator systems use the button differently.
00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:40.640
Because accessibility and safety requirements can limit when doors are allowed to close.
00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:47.519
Because special modes such as independent service and firefighter operation may depend on deliberate door control.
00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:52.880
And yes, sometimes pressing it during normal operation really can make the doors close sooner.
00:18:53.119 --> 00:19:03.039
Other times, the elevator has heard your request, reviewed it carefully, and decided to proceed on its original schedule, which means the button isn't necessarily fake.
00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:05.359
It just doesn't necessarily report to you.
00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:12.000
So the next time you step into an elevator, press your floor, press close door, once and wait.
00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:14.319
You don't need to hit it fourteen times.
00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:15.839
The elevator knows.
00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:24.000
And if somebody appears at the far end of the lobby, well, that's between you, the door open button, and your conscience.
00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:25.359
I'm Steve.
00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:28.799
And apparently there's a reason for almost everything.
00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:31.519
Even if it isn't a particularly good one.
