People Mirrors Stopped Increase Tall Buildings Elevator Owners

After World War II, the American economy "rebounded" (recovered; got better), leading to a "boom" (sudden increase) in the construction of tall office buildings and "high-rises" (tall apartment buildings). With tall buildings came the "proliferation" (rapid spreading or increase) of "elevators" (machines that move people up and down between floors in a building). You would think that a time-saving, convenient machine like an elevator would have made people happier, since now they did not to have to walk up the stairs. But that's not what happened.

Instead, building owners started getting "complaints" (expressions of dissatisfaction or disappointment about something), and lots of them. The problem? People didn't like having to wait for the elevator to arrive at their "floor" (level in a building). So building owners began installing "mirrors" (a surface that allows one to see oneself) next to the elevators. And almost immediately, people stopped complaining.

Why did the mirrors stop people from complaining? Well, when you give people a mirror, they will naturally look at themselves and the people around them. Instead of just waiting for the elevator, people now have something "mildly" (somewhat) interesting to do.

This shows a basic "principle" (idea) of "queuing" or waiting in line: "occupied" (busy) time seems shorter, or to pass more quickly, than unoccupied time. Even if you have to wait the same amount of time, it doesn't seem as long when you have something to do.