10 seltsame Fahrstuhl-Etikette-Regeln

In den 1960er Jahren erfand ein Wissenschaftler namens Edward Hall das Gebiet der Proxemik , der Untersuchung, wie Menschen den persönlichen Raum als wichtige Form der nonverbalen Kommunikation nutzen. Halls Experimente ergaben, dass Menschen – OK, Amerikaner – ihren persönlichen Raum in vier Kategorien einteilen [Quelle: Inglis-Arkell ]:

Der Aufzug lacht über Ihre Definitionen von persönlichem und öffentlichem Raum. "Hier drin", verkündet es, "fühlen wir uns alle gleich unwohl!" Um das Beste aus Ihrer nächsten 30-Sekunden-Fahrt in der vertikalen Transporthölle herauszuholen, befolgen Sie unsere 10 seltsamen (aber unverzichtbaren!) Regeln der Aufzugsetikette.

1. Die Zwei-Flügel-Regel
2. Es heißt Linie, Kumpel
3. Damen zuerst, es sei denn, sie sind Zweite
4. Tür halten – was würde Gandhi tun?
5. Wenn Sie Zweifel haben, verteilen Sie sich
6. Schau nicht nach hinten, Weirdo
7. Kennen Sie den Unterschied zwischen Lächeln und Starren
8. Besitze diese Knöpfe
9. Schalten Sie Ihr Telefon in den „Aufzugsmodus“
10. Rette ein Leben, steig aus

Die Zwei-Flügel-Regel ist für ein Kleinkind oder sogar einen College-Studenten einfach zu verstehen: Nehmen Sie den Aufzug nicht, es sei denn, Sie fahren mindestens zwei Stockwerke nach oben oder unten. Diese Regel wird Sie vor den durchdringenden Blicken und augenrollenden Seufzern Ihrer Mitreisenden bewahren, wenn Sie ihre Fahrstuhlqualen um etwa 20 Sekunden (!) verlängern, nur um zu vermeiden, 12 mickrige Schritte zu gehen .

Ja, wir erlauben natürlich Ausnahmen von der Zwei-Flügel-Regelung für ältere Menschen, Menschen mit Behinderungen, Eltern mit Kinderwagen und Gebäude, bei denen das Treppenhaus besser versteckt ist als ein nordkoreanisches Raketensilo oder die Türen zum Treppenhaus hinter Ihnen abschließen. Aber wenn Sie ein paar vollkommen gesunde Beine haben und keine Kiste tragen, die gleich oder größer als das Gewicht eines heranwachsenden Nilpferds ist, müssen Sie die Schritte wagen, Kumpel.

Wenn Sie jemals in einem alten Bürogebäude mit einem funktionierenden Aufzug gearbeitet haben, werden Sie Mr. Oblivious kennen . Er ist derjenige, der in eine überfüllte Lobby geht und direkt zu den Aufzugstüren stürmt (wobei er natürlich den bereits gedrückten "Auf"-Knopf drückt), scheinbar ohne sich der Schlange ungeduldiger Menschen bewusst zu sein, die über kreative Wege phantasieren, ihn zu verletzen.

Dann ist da noch Kandidat Nr. 1 , der glaubt, in einer Art Spielshow mit versteckter Kamera namens „Guess That Elevator!“ zu sein. Dieser Typ ignoriert die Etiketteregel bezüglich mehrerer Aufzüge. Wenn es in einem belebten Gebäude vier Aufzüge gibt, teilen Sie sich nicht in vier Gruppen auf, als ob Sie darauf wetten würden, welcher „klingelt“! nächste. Sie sollten in einer einzigen Reihe warten und verfügbare Aufzüge nach dem Prinzip „Wer zuerst kommt, mahlt zuerst“ besteigen.

This next pearl of elevator etiquette comes from the self-styled "Manners Mentor" Maralee McKee. (If you question her commitment to alliteration, check out her latest book, Manners That Matter for Moms.) McKee takes a studied approach to the age-old elevator-boarding question: ladies first?

The answer: It depends on the context. In a social situation — riding down to dinner at a dungeon-themed restaurant, riding up to the nosebleed section at a Sting concert — it's customary for ladies to board and exit first.

A busy office building is a different story, she says. In the workplace, women and men expect to be treated as equals. In an elevator, that means you should be equally unfriendly to everyone. If you're a dude and you're first in line, board first.

Of course, this may vary by U.S. region or country. If you're female, and your male colleague steps aside so you can board first, say thank you and enjoy the courtesy.

Ignore for a moment the hotly debated issue of whether the "door close" button even works. We'll leave that to the experts. Our question is simple: Do you or do you not hold the door for a late-arriving passenger?

First there's the "do unto others" and "karma " camp, who argue that you should hold the door open under all circumstances. Compassion and simple decency, they say, should override any complaints about wasted time. Then there are the hardliners who argue that no door should be held open under any circumstance, letting the wheels (or in this case, the doors) of fate decide.

Here's my own improvised policy — three different rules for three distinct situations:

Let's revisit proxemics for a second, the study of human behavior as it relates to public and private space. If you're a man, then you are already a student of the urinal theory of proxemics, which states:

The elevator, it turns out, has similarly strict spacing rules [source: Driver]:

Even if you ignore all other rules of elevator etiquette — you cut the line, talk loudly on your cell phone and travel a grand total of one floor — do not break this one: Face the doors.

Most people can deal with standing way too close to someone for a few seconds, if that someone's face is pointed in a neutral, parallel direction. If you turn around and put your back to the door, it creates an awkwardly confrontational standing situation. Or, your fellow riders might think you're from another planet.

The whole "facing forward in the elevator" thing apparently came from the mid-1800s when elevators had a back row of benches [source: NPR]. (This seems like a custom that should be revived). The only exception to this front-facing rule might be standing with your back against one side of the elevator, but only in a noncrowded car situation.

Yes, elevators are giant dangling yo-yos of awkwardness, but one way to dissolve a little of the tension of traveling in a tight space with strangers is to give everyone a generic nodding smile. It's an effective nonverbal way of saying, "Hi, I'm normal. Excuse me while I invade your intimate space."

The key to a good nodding smile is to keep eye contact to a minimum. After that, shift your attention immediately to something else. Anything else. Your smartphone. The exciting parade of numbers over the door. The scrawled inspection log.

Researchers have found that in elevators, men tend to make no eye contact with anyone, while women do a quick glance around (probably to make sure no creeps are on board) [source: Driver].

All the more reason NOT to go back for seconds on eye contact. Staring is second only to passing gas on the list of elevator no-nos. The only exception is if you're commenting on something mundane, like your elevator mate's cool earrings or overstuffed briefcase. Then it's right back to the inspection log before things get weird.

There's a unique power dynamic that only exists inside elevators. The car is divided between the normal powerless riders and [cue dramatic music] the Button Master. If three or fewer people board an elevator, there is no need for a Button Master. Each passenger is expected to push his own button before gravitating toward his lonely corner. But if four or more people squeeze into the box, someone must wrest the proverbial Excalibur from the stone and accept their true, if temporary, calling as Master of the Buttons!

Know this first — you will receive no wage as Button Master. No one is going to give you one of those cool 1920s red bellhop hats with the chin strap, either. Your job is simple, but the responsibility is sacred. As each new person boards the elevator, you are to ask, "What floor?" and press the button for the corresponding floor. Don't try to be cute and say things like, "As you wish, sir!" or "At your service!"

Even if you're not originally chosen as Button Master, you need to be ready to carry the flag if the anointed one unexpectedly exits. As a rule, the person closest to the first Button Master is Vice Button Master and assumes the post when the first man or woman departs.

What, you didn't know your smartphone had an "elevator mode?" OK, it's not as much of a "mode" as a state of being. A state of being in your pocket, preferably off.

We definitely don't want to be trapped in an elevator listening to one side of an extremely private phone conversation about what you will do to Sandra if she ever tries to pull that kind of crap again. (Well, most of us don't. Some will prick up their ears to learn more about Sandra's fate – not what you want, either.)

If you are on the phone when boarding an elevator, tell the other person you'll call them back in a second. Same thing if you get a phone call while riding the elevator. Texting , however, is perfectly acceptable, as long as you're not the Button Master. Duty calls!

An overpacked elevator can be a scary place, especially if you're squeezed against the back wall of the car. Claustrophobia aside, there's the issue of successfully exiting the elevator when it gets to your floor. If your fellow passengers are ignorant of basic elevator etiquette, you might have to fight your way out with a mix of elbow jabs and clench-toothed exclamations of "Excuse me!"

Here's the rule. The two people standing closest to the door of the elevator should step out of the car at each requested stop and hold the doors open with one hand so passengers can exit without resorting to trampling.

Maralee McKee, the Manners Mentor, has another tip for extricating yourself from the back of a crowded elevator. When the car is approaching your destination, announce in a calm, friendly voice, "My floor is next" [source: McKee]. Most decent people will make room for you leave. For the rest, say hello to Mr. Elbow!

Author's Note: 10 Weird Elevator Etiquette Rules

If you couldn't tell from my gushing description of rule No. 3, I love being the Button Master. If I board an elevator and no one else has claimed the post, I'm all over it. I take a disproportionate amount of civic pride in easing the journeys of my fellow passengers. It's one of those small courtesies, like holding open a door or stopping your car to let a pedestrian cross a busy roadway, that constitute the glue that holds society together. So before you mock my Button Master pride, think if you'd like to live in a world where every passenger has to press their own elevator button, like an animal. Not me, man. I'd rather take the stairs.

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