Traffic Light Etiquette

[danalwyn]

I am the only one who feels embarrassed when I come up to people waiting to cross an intersection in the same direction I'm going and push the button for the walk signal that's right next to them? It's like I'm saying "Hey, I don't trust you enough to presume that you pushed the button that even a first-grader knows to push". I'm not, I'm just being sure, but it feels like I'm exhibiting a distinct lack of trust. Of course, I don't really mind when people do that to me, but hey, maybe I'm just weird (okay, I'm definitely weird, but, well, you know).

Comments

[silverjackal]

I'm also vaguely embarrassed, but do it anyway (unless I can clearly see it's lit, a feature which not all have). It goes to show how strong reflexive behavioural programming is. Everyone completes the behaviour chain, whether or not it's necessary. One that I find personally annoying: I always test my front door after I've locked it, because somehow the fact that I've just locked the door isn't good enough. (That, and I double check that I've turned off the coffee pot twice in the morning, for fear of leaving it on and burning the place down. I've never yet actually left the pot on, mind, but I check all the same. Habit is a strong thing -- and in my case I'm a bit OCD about those two things.)

[danalwyn]

I'm more than a bit weird about the door thing - I check it four or five times, sometimes getting out to my car and coming back. I check my stove several times, even putting my hand on it just in case the gas knob is lying to me. I do everything multiple times. Parking my car, and checking the door, the lights and the parking break, can take five minutes.

Oh well, so it goes.

[silverjackal]

A touch of OCD, no doubt. Many scientists have it -- it's sometimes the driving force that leads to compulsively studying a given subject. :) If you are made uncomfortable by it, it is something you should discuss with your doctor, though sometimes some mindfulness techniques and a bit of behavioural therapy are enough, not requiring any sort of medication. But if it doesn't interfere it really is just an exaggerated manifestation of a useful quality. I say that as someone with a bit of it myself. I only really have this around checking the door (making certain I've locked it at night as well as if I'm leaving) and the coffee pot, but if I notice I'm mentally absent and checking more than once I will stop myself and force myself to leave it. Stress and sleeplessness tends to make it worse, but that is me.

[danalwyn]

Yeah, I think it is sort of common here. I do worry when I get in the habit of doing everything six or seven times, for fear that eventually I'll be spending my whole night doing it. Hopefully things never get quite that bad.