Answer: Mirrors

In the early days of elevators, the elevators were dependable but slow. When faced with complaints from patrons that elevators arrived too slowly and traveled too slowly between floors, designers came up with a clever design trick to resolve patron complaints without the necessity of the increased risk of faster travel (and the increased cost of upgrading both the lift mechanisms and the safety equipment).

What clever and cheap design choice made patrons think the elevators were faster without making any changes to the mechanics of the elevators themselves? Mirrors. By placing mirrors in the lobby, near the elevator shaft on each floor, and even in the elevators themselves, designers completely eliminated any complaints about the speed of the elevators as the mirrors both served to give the patrons something to do (check themselves out and groom) and they created a sense that the passage of time was faster than it was because the patron was distracted.

So the next time you find yourself peering into the mirror beside the elevator, don’t scold yourself for being vain, but pat yourself on the back for making the time spent waiting for the lift to arrive all the shorter.