Posted
on July 25, 2014
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| Notice how blank and expressionless everyone's face is... |
Of
course, this is not a hard-and-fast rule. Many times people are
riding in elevators with people they know, and they enter the
elevator talking to one another, and they keep talking all the way up
or down.
Actually, sometimes I wish that people in elevators were a little MORE silent!
Actually, sometimes I wish that people in elevators were a little MORE silent!
Also,
most people murmur quiet polite phrases such as “Good morning,”
“Excuse me,” “Floor 3, please,” and “Thank you.”
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| This is NOT how people ride in elevators. This looks posed....and WEIRD! |
The
study of “proxemics” tells us about the unwritten rules of
society, including how close people get to one another and
body-language cues.
Normally,
strangers in public keep ten or more feet away from one another, when
possible. However, on crowded city streets or enclosed spaces such as
elevators, that obviously is not possible.
Ways
of coping with too-small of personal space include reducing or
eliminating hand and arm movements, lowering voice or not talking,
and decreasing eye contact.
Apparently,
men tend to not look at others in a crowded elevator at all, but
women tend to quickly check out who they are sharing the elevator
with—just a quick glance around, usually accompanied by a smile.
Today
we are urged to break the unspoken rule about not speaking – and to
make polite, light small talk on an elevator. Compliment a stranger,
chat about the weather, ask for directions, etc. Does it take courage
for you to do this? What do other passengers do when you talk –- do
they join in? Look away? Shift uncomfortably?
By
the way, if there is a baby or small child – or maybe even a dog –
in the elevator, complimenting him, her, or it is probably the
easiest way to start a conversation. My husband often tells parents,
“You have a beautiful family,” and people warm right up to him.
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