The ‘Close Door’ Button on Elevators Is a Big Fat Lie and Here’s Why

Let's be honest, shall we? Every single one of us has pushed the 'close door' button in the elevator whether someone was coming or not because we just want to keep moving.

Hey, I've done it and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I've even hit it when the person saw me and I was like 'Sorry OMG I hit the wrong button.' Hey, I'll own up to it however guess what? It wasn't working at all and was closing on its own.

Yup, the 'close door' button on elevators is a big, fat lie.

According to Mental Floss, that 'close door' button doesn't make the doors close faster or sooner. As a matter of fact, according to the Science Alert website, they don't even work, and if one does work it's illegal.

So why are they even there? To mess with us? Is it a placebo effect? Actually, they don't work anymore for a very good reason.

According to Mental Floss, while at one point the button did make the doors shut sooner, once the Americans With Disabilities Act passed in 1990 that ended. Elevator doors are required to stay open for at least three seconds no matter what so at this point most manufacturers have simply deactivated the button. This gives someone on crutches, using a cane, or in a wheelchair for example, time to get on the elevator.

According to the New York Times, since elevators have a 25-year life and the Americans with Disabilities Act has been around for 34 years, it's a safe bet that none of those buttons work anymore and are all deactivated. If they're not, they're programmed to stay open for at least three seconds if not longer.

PS: Yes, the 'open door' button does work.