Crowded places turn us into copycats & it’s usually without us even realizing it. It just takes one move by a stranger for a sea of people to copy, and faster than you’d expect. Scientists have studied this phenomenon. Here are eleven small behaviors that people copy in crowded spaces. Which of these have you fallen for most recently?
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Looking up
One person tilts their head back & suddenly half the block is staring at the sky. It’s not random. One street experiment in New York showed that the more people who look up, the more strangers copied. It happened without anybody asking questions. Instead, people just joined in, which is likely because they were wondering what they might be missing.
Side-by-side walking lanes
You’ve likely gone down a packed street before, where everyone magically sorts themselves into neat lanes. That’s no accident. People tend to slip behind whoever’s right in front of them, which builds those “traffic lanes” that everyone travels down together, with no signs needed. We simply copy the person ahead. And we hope for fewer shoulder bumps.
Syncing footsteps
Your stride sometimes falls in line with the person next to you when you’re in a place with heavy foot traffic. It’s not something you plan. Instead, it just sort of happens, and researchers noticed that people slowly adjust their speed to avoid bumping into other people. This lines up everyone’s rhythm until it becomes a drumbeat of shoes.
Crowded exits
Whenever there’s a hall with two wide exits, everyone tends to pile into the same one. Studies show people pick the busier door for one reason only. What is it? Because it already looks “safe” or active, and the emptier doorway usually stays that way until someone finally makes the first move. It takes effort to break the pattern.
Forming lines
Train stations usually have painted spots where the doors land. But even without them, the crowd forms lines in the same places, as people copy whoever stands first & that locks in the spot for everyone else. You’ll have neat queues by the time the train rolls up. That’s a good thing, though, because it’s a lot more ordered than random clumps.
Standing right, walking left
The split-second choice of whether to stand or walk on an escalator usually isn’t yours. Instead, it’s copied from the people around, at least, according to one study. Researchers found that most riders naturally stood on the right in one experiment because the people in front did. After a while, it became a rule for everyone to follow without thinking.
Clapping in sync
Applause is usually odd at first, but then somehow, it becomes a steady rhythm. Scientists found that people adjust their claps to match whoever’s nearest. It takes just a couple of rounds for the whole crowd to clap in sync. Sometimes, it might come across like it was rehearsed, but then just as quickly as it appears, it falls apart again into messy noise.
Checking your phone
You’ve pulled out your phone just because the person next to you did at least once before. And scientists have noticed it. One study found that it takes less than half a minute for someone nearby to join in, although the trigger isn’t necessarily holding the phone. It’s the moment somebody swipes it open & their screen lights up that makes people copy.
Yawning
You can’t escape this one. One yawn in a group almost always leads to a chain reaction, and experiments found that just seeing or hearing a yawn one time is enough for everyone around to start yawning. Interestingly, people usually try to hold it back when they feel like others are watching too closely. Why could that be?
Quick glances
There’s an unwritten rule on trains & sidewalks that we should glance and look away from each other. Someone makes eye contact for half a beat, then both people drop their gaze before the next person does the same. Researchers called it “civil inattention.” Apparently, it’s a small copied routine that helps strangers pass by each other without any awkward standoffs.
Crossing on red
At a red light, most people wait until one brave soul steps out. Once that happens, a trickle of followers joins & studies show the numbers aren’t as important as what someone’s wearing. A well-dressed person is far more likely to get people copying them than someone looking casual.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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