Building managers introduced mirrors inside passenger elevators during the mid-twentieth century as a psychological trick to distract riders from the agonizingly slow mechanical ascent of early skyscraper designs.

A closer look

Building managers introduced mirrors inside passenger elevators during the mid-twentieth century as a psychological trick to distract riders from the agonizingly slow mechanical ascent of early skyscraper designs. Before the mirrors were installed, people constantly complained about the torturous speed of the journey, convinced they were trapped in a claustrophobic death box suspended by unreliable cables. Instead of spending millions of dollars to upgrade the winch motors or engineer faster propulsion systems, clever building owners simply gave the general public a chance to stare at their own reflections. Armed with the ability to fix their hair, adjust their ties, and silently judge their own physical appearance, passengers completely forgot about the passage of time, proving that rampant human vanity is the ultimate and most cost-effective solution to structural inefficiency