The 'close door' button on your elevator is a scam! Manufacturers reveal buttons make no difference

* The close button in an elevator has been obsolete since the 1990s
* This suggests those installed are fake and do not close the doors faster
* This is true for crosswalks in New York City and some office thermostats
* Experts say these placebo mechanism promote the illusion of control
Most people do not have the patience to wait a few seconds for the elevator doors to shut, so they push the 'close' button to speed up the process.
However, some say this feature has been obsolete since the 1990s, suggesting the button is a complete fake – it will not close the doors any faster.
Experts reveal that there numerous buttons in the world that do not live up to their name, but are present to make us feel in control.


Most people don't have the patience to wait for the elevator doors to shut, so they push the 'close' button to speed up the process. However, this feature has been obsolete since the 1990s, suggesting the button is a complete fake – it will not close the doors any faster
THE TRUTH ABOUT BUTTONS
Elevator 'close' buttons went obsolete in the 1990s, which means the ones you see are fake.
New York City figures state that out of the 3,250 crosswalk buttons, 2,500 of them were replaced with non-functioning mechanisms.
And a majority of the thermostats installed in offices that are easily accessible are decoys.
Expert say that these buttons or fake thermostats are in place to promote the illusion on being in control.
Having a lack of control has been found to spark depression among many individuals.
The Americans With Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, mandating that elevators stay open long enough for someone with a physical disability, such as on crutches or in a wheelchair, to make it inside, Karen W. Penafiel, executive director of National Elevator Industry Inc., told Christopher Mele with The New York Times in an interview.
Although these buttons are useless to the average person, they do perform their proper function for firefighters and maintenance workers – but only with a code or designated keys.
Penafiel explains since an elevator's lifespan is around 25 years, it is safe to say that a majority, if any, do not have a functioning 'close' button – but the 'open' button works when it is pushed.
As bizarre as it seems to place fake buttons in an elevator or other devices, they are there for good reasons.
'Perceived control is very important,' Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor at Harvard University who has studied the illusion of control, told Mele in an email.

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