That awkward silence in the lifts. No one ever knows what to do. You may be standing outside the lift with a work colleague talking at a normal level about anything, as soon as you get into the lift…silence.
What is it about lifts that people feel the need to stop conversations and stand in total silence. Yes I know that we are in close proximity to a load of strangers but it is exactly the same on a busy train or in a busy shopping mall. You are close to people that can all hear your conversations but you don’t stop having them then.
When the lift door opens and you see someone standing there a couple of things go through your head. 1) Do I know this person, if the answer is yes then you can maybe make small talk all the way down the lift, or even you may get on well with them then your problems are solved. 2) If you don’t know this person where do you stand and what do you look at the whole way down. You are conscious that there is only one other person in that lift with you. It is seriously awkward. If you are a male and they are a female and you have a look at them you think that they think that you are perving on them. This isn’t always the case ladies. Not all men that look at you are trying to undress you with their eyes. If you are in their eye line when they walk in the lift then of course they are going to look at you. Also people have to look somewhere. It goes both ways though. If a woman is looking at a man in the lift the man might get all up himself ‘she wants a bit of the good stuff.’ Again 9 times out of 10 she doesn’t it’s just people are drawn to looking at others, it happens. You don’t mean it to and you try to avoid it, but you will notice them. Everyone does it so don’t you worry.
Also never have your hands been so fascinating. You stare tat them intently, rub them, scratch them. If you do this then it seems that you are pre-occupied and that you don’t have to do the look around thing, trying not to catch anyone’s eye so that you god-forbid have to talk to someone in the lift. I have seen people stare at the wall or the door. I mean really, how on earth can you stare at the door like you are trying to see right through it for what can be 2-3 minutes. I just don’t get that, but hey ho each to their own.
Now back to the talkers. As previously stated you could be standing outside the lift with a mate chatting away. No worries who walks past and hears what you are talking about, then the lift arrives. In you get and you seem to feel the need to talk in a whisper. I am not saying that you now need to shout your conversation so no one else can talk or they have no choice but to hear the conversation, but people everyone else in the lift can hear the conversation so you might as well talk normally. I bet if they were in the lift by themselves they wouldn’t see the need to whisper!
What happens also if your stomach rumbles? Why do people act all embarrassed and turn around and give people that 2 second sheepish grin like they don’t mind it happened and they found it funny too. We can see though that. Who cares, everyone’s stomach rumbles at some point so embrace it and go and get yourself a sandwich.
So people next time you are with your mate in the lift, have a chat, don’t worry about it, people can hear you anyways. That is the thought for today, tune in tomorrow for something different. Laters
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