Results: Press the Button

Door close buttons on elevators: Karen Penafiel, executive director of National Elevator Company, said the "close-door" feature became obsolete a few years after the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. The legislation required the doors remain open long enough for anyone using crutches, a cane, or a wheelchair to get on board. Pressing the button would NOT make the door close faster! No figures were available for the number of elevators still in operation with "functioning" door-close buttons. However, the "door-open" buttons DO work when you press them. There are exceptions to this rule, though. As the New York Daily News noted, New York City elevators are required by law to have working 'close door' buttons, even though some operate on a long delay (so long, in fact, that it calls the button's usefulness into question). Were you aware of this before the survey?

Crosswalk signals: New Yorkers (those who don't jaywalk, that is) have for years followed the instructions on the metal signs: "To cross street push button, wait for walk signal." But the city deactivated most of the pedestrian buttons long ago with the emergence of computer-controlled traffic signals. More than 2,500 of the 3,250 walk buttons that were in place existed as mechanical placebos, according to city figures. About 500 were removed during major construction projects. It was estimated that it would cost $1 million to dismantle the nonfunctioning ones, so the city decided to keep them in place. Are you surprised to hear about this?

Office Thermostats: Depending on where you work (if you work) you might find the thermostat in a plastic case under lock and key. But if you're lucky, you might have control over one. Well, you may think so. The Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration News reported in 2003 that it asked readers in an informal online survey whether they had ever installed "dummy thermostats." Of 70 who responded, 51 said they had. A psychology professor at Harvard University who has studied the illusion of control, said. "Perceived control is very important. It diminishes stress and promotes well being." Were you aware of this little known fact?