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Weird Science: Why We All Look At The Floor In An Elevator
Wired Science ^ | May 27, 2009 | Dario Maestripieri

Posted on 05/29/2009 7:47:10 AM PDT by yankeedame

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To: Alberta's Child
In other words, we act the same way in an elevator that we do while walking down a corridor in a shopping mall. We ignore the people around us and pretend they don't exist because we simply don't know them . . . and their presence has nothing to do with what we're shopping for.

Ah, but if you are situationally aware you DON'T do this.
You PAY attention to the people around you.Being situationally aware has kept me out of some tight spots.

I learned the technique, and it is a learned behaviour, from a Cheif Petty Officer in the US Navy while I was stationed in South East Asia.

21 posted on 05/29/2009 8:08:41 AM PDT by Just another Joe (Warning: FReeping can be addictive and helpful to your mental health)
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To: MyTwoCopperCoins; apollo861

The link source also reads “wired science”, as opposed to “weird science” as in the title of the thread.


22 posted on 05/29/2009 8:09:06 AM PDT by ETL (ALL the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
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To: yankeedame
Similarly, when male chimpanzees in Uganda encounter a male from another group, they slash his throat and rip his testicles off — just in case he survives and has any future ambitions for reproduction.

That's why I don't ride elevators.
23 posted on 05/29/2009 8:10:32 AM PDT by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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To: dfwgator

Get on the elevator. Say hello everyone, my name is......
Then anounce that you were just diagnosed as an undifferentiated schizophrenic and you’ve lost your meds.

The other riders will leave you alone.


24 posted on 05/29/2009 8:15:17 AM PDT by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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To: apollo861; MyTwoCopperCoins; yankeedame

Here’s the correct link...

Op-Ed: Why the Elevator Floor Is So Interesting | Wired Science | Wired.com:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/05/ftf-mastripieri/


25 posted on 05/29/2009 8:15:18 AM PDT by ETL (ALL the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
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To: yankeedame

“If there are two people in an elevator, and one of them farts - everybody knows who did it!” - George Carlin


26 posted on 05/29/2009 8:16:54 AM PDT by dfwgator (1996 2006 2008 - Good Things Come in Threes)
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To: yankeedame

I guess I’m an anomaly: I never look at the elevator floor.


27 posted on 05/29/2009 8:20:06 AM PDT by r9etb
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To: yankeedame

Fun with elevators I have done.

When entering a crowded elevator instead of turning around to look at the door, stand with back against door and look at crowd.

Stand in back corner, moan, bang head against the wall saying “must stop the music”. Crowded elevator gets empty fast.

Get on elevator and stand and stare at the back wall like it’s a door. The less people on the elevator the more chance of the other person also staring at the back wall. Works even better if other people are in on it and back wallers outnumber front doorers.

When on a long trip going up jump when the elevator stops at the top. When going down lift arms in the air like on a roller coaster. Shout WHHEEEEEE! in both directions.

Sniff the air and step away from everyone else. Even if there is no offending scents. People will tend to make up an offending scent even if one doesn’t exist.


28 posted on 05/29/2009 8:25:25 AM PDT by Domandred (Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.)
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To: dfwgator

And a real salesman will make the other person believe he did it.


29 posted on 05/29/2009 8:26:49 AM PDT by wordsofearnest (Job 19:25 As for me, I know my Redeemer lives.)
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To: Just another Joe

>> We ignore the people around us and pretend they don’t exist ...
>> Ah, but if you are situationally aware you DON’T do this.

Good post. I can’t believe the number of young (mostly female) dingbats walking around texting or with Ipods in their ears in places where I’m nervous. For a good read on this subject, start by Googling up: “Color codes of mental awareness”.


30 posted on 05/29/2009 8:28:31 AM PDT by QBFimi (When gunpowder speaks, beasts listen.)
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; george76; ...

The fact is, if there’s a mirrored ceiling, it’s sometimes possible to look down into some cleavage. Or check my own bald spot.


31 posted on 05/29/2009 8:33:01 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: Owl_Eagle
Generally, I’ll either stare directly at the eyes of the other person or share an embarrassing personal story.

The best time to do that is when you are in a lobby waiting for an elevator and find that the cab is already full.

32 posted on 05/29/2009 8:33:38 AM PDT by new cruelty (Shoot your TV. Torch your newspaper.)
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To: Owl_Eagle

I tend to cough loudly then say “I probably should go back to the TB clinic soon.”


33 posted on 05/29/2009 8:34:33 AM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel (FreepMail me if you want on the Bourbon ping list!)
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To: Owl_Eagle; yankeedame
Generally, I’ll either stare directly at the eyes of the other person or share an embarrassing personal story.

I prefer to let my flatulence do the talking.

34 posted on 05/29/2009 8:38:57 AM PDT by Grizzled Bear ("Does not play well with others.")
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To: yankeedame

Because nobody wants to take credit for that weapons-grade flatulence attack.


35 posted on 05/29/2009 8:39:08 AM PDT by RichInOC (No! BAD Rich! (What'd I say?))
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To: QBFimi

Yes, my Navy Cheif didn’t put it in quite those terms but it was essentially the same message.


36 posted on 05/29/2009 8:41:17 AM PDT by Just another Joe (Warning: FReeping can be addictive and helpful to your mental health)
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To: yankeedame
"... the human smile — is well received, it can be a prelude to grooming. Grooming can both relax and appease...virtually eliminating the chance of an attack."

Not so. I tried that once and she got really upset.

37 posted on 05/29/2009 8:47:41 AM PDT by KrisKrinkle (Blessed be those who know the depth and breadth of their ignorance. Cursed be those who don't.)
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To: yankeedame

If I’m on an elevator with men, I try to insult the local sports team as loudly as I can. If my company on the vertical bus is female, I grope them. If mixed company, I grope the women and blame it on one of the other men.


38 posted on 05/29/2009 9:15:32 AM PDT by IronJack (=)
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To: yankeedame

I’ll bet this guy’s eggs try to jump off the plate every morning.

“One morning when I was living on the 20th floor of a high-rise building I rode the elevator with a middle-aged man who seemed to be particularly intimidated by my presence.
As I stepped in, he smiled nervously and started talking immediately. He talked nonstop and managed to give me his entire medical history, complete with symptoms, diagnoses and treatments, before we reached the ground floor. I doubt that this man expected to receive medical advice from me. Rather, he was clearly an insecure and emotionally vulnerable person who used massive verbal grooming to appease a perceived potential aggressor in a risky situation.”


39 posted on 05/29/2009 9:19:27 AM PDT by Old Professer (The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, then writes again.)
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To: yankeedame
Similarly, when male chimpanzees in Uganda encounter a male from another group, they slash his throat and rip his testicles off — just in case he survives and has any future ambitions for reproduction.

The female Homo Sapien is also known to do this to the male of the species, often times at the onset of a divorce but also within the marriage itself, albeit in a symbolic way.

40 posted on 05/29/2009 10:15:31 AM PDT by Free Vulcan (No prisoners. No mercy. 2010 awaits.....)
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