pick a side

[Mercy]

K. and I were walking around a local plaza recently and as we found ourselves walking towards another group of walkers on the sidewalk, he questioned our inclination to walk to the right of the on-comers. Is the tendency to shift to the right conditioning tied to our convention of driving on the right in the US or something else? Do the British walk to the left? How about other countries? Any Canadians want to chime in?

-m.

[Cloral]

All else being even, I pick the right side. I have no problem picking the left side though when it's the easier choice.

[Dark Nation]

Well, in elementary school, I remember that whenever the class had to go somewhere, we were told to stay on the right side of the hallway. Still, *that* may have come from having to drive on the right side of the road.

[Beldaran]

If they are paying attention, I politely walk to the right. If they are texting, I slam into them and blame it on them. They can't claim it was my fault because hey, they were texting and don't know what the hell happened.

[Zaphod Q. IX]

I always tend to go to the right, unless they have a dog in tow...then I defer to the canine...I've learned a thing or two from the dog whisperer...

[Anthus]

I tend to go to the left. I have always thought this might have to do with being left-handed, but I dunno. I have no problem going right if I have to. I also notice myself walking on the left of someone when I'm walking with them. I don't make a point to, but I do notice it sometimes.

[AtmaWeapon]

I like to walk on the right side of a corridor if there is a crowd. If it's clogged and there's no one to the left, I head to the left.

If everyone walks in the same direction on the same side, things go smoother. However, there's plenty of idiots that stop in the middle of hallways to gawk at amazing sights like fluorescent light bulbs, and because of them we can't always stick to the same path.

I've also noticed that if people want to have a conversation, they almost always head for the narrowest place they can find. In a mall, they'll stand in the entrance to a store rather than choosing one of the nearby benches. In an office, they almost always move to the part of the hall with the copy machine, a cube corridor, or the doorway to a stairwell. Why do we insist on being difficult? At first I thought it was that they stopped when they started the conversation with no mind to the location, but I've observed many parties talking on the fly, only to stop when they reach some local maxima for obstruction. Bonus points when they turn themselves so they can't see any oncoming people.

[Mercy]

I've also noticed that if people want to have a conversation, they almost always head for the narrowest place they can find.
I have noticed this too, on occasion. My theory is it has something to do with a certain sense of security from being in a more confined space or perhaps an insecurity with being overly exposed in more open spaces. Maybe there is some sort of subconscious cue to pay more attention to our surroundings rather than focus our attention inwards (as when paying attention to a conversation) when we are more exposed linked to primitive survival instincts. Or maybe humans are just innately inconvenient.

I prefer not to eat in restaurants if I am sat at an open table in the middle of a large dining room. Booths, I can deal with in the middle of a restaurant and open tables along a wall are fine. There is just something discomforting for me about being in the middle of a crowd while I eat.

-m.

[Dechipher]

I try to stay on the right, because I figure if I have to pick a side, I should mirror what happens while driving.
I dislike it more when people suddenly stop, or when they linger in an area for a very long time, or when they unnecessarily position their body so that it is directly where I need to be (that last one is most obnoxious in cafeteria-type settings.)


And Bel - you'd never catch me unaware. I have an old school phone, so I text without looking. And I'd throw you down a flight of stairs.