Decoding the Mysteries of the Close Door Button

Commercial and residential elevators in Salt Lake City make life a little easier. Plus, it can be satisfying to control sophisticated machinery with just the touch of a button. But does the close door button in an elevator really work? There’s a rumor going around that close door buttons in the U.S. aren’t actually functional. It’s thought that these buttons are installed simply so that passengers feel like they are more in control of the elevator, much like the placebo effect people experience when they frantically press the same elevator button multiple times.

Watch this video to get the truth behind the rumor. It explains that close door buttons should actually work, but there are a few things that can interfere with them. The button may only be intended for emergencies, in which case it would only work with a key. Or, there may be a long delay built into it, so the wait time isn’t perceived to be any shorter. In other cases, the button is simply broken, and it’s time to call for elevator maintenance.