Corridor Politics
Sep. 9th, 2011 12:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackA little while back I was myself walking down a corridor and seeing someone coming the other way. We both moved to one side. Which side did I move to? Left? Right? The side I wanted to end up on? No, I seemed to move to the side I _didn't) want to end up on.
At the time, I assumed it was an overabundance of diffidence: that I was overcompensating in instinctively letting the other person pass, assuming that whatever was less convenient for me would be more helpful for them, when in fact it would be equally likely the other way round.
But now, I don't think that is it after all. It seems my natural tragectory is to curve away from a turning I want to in order to approach it more head on (either because it's easier to turn a corner like that, or just out of a sense of neatness), so being on the "wrong" side of the corridor is almost closer to the ideal path than the "right" one?
At the time, I assumed it was an overabundance of diffidence: that I was overcompensating in instinctively letting the other person pass, assuming that whatever was less convenient for me would be more helpful for them, when in fact it would be equally likely the other way round.
But now, I don't think that is it after all. It seems my natural tragectory is to curve away from a turning I want to in order to approach it more head on (either because it's easier to turn a corner like that, or just out of a sense of neatness), so being on the "wrong" side of the corridor is almost closer to the ideal path than the "right" one?
no subject
Date: 2011-09-09 09:56 pm (UTC)It's someone who lives in a big city in California, where there is a heavily mixed Asian (non-Indian)/non- population so the "default" behavior is culturally different.
But the summary was that whichever side you wanted, a slight head tilt is enough to subconsciously inform on-coming pedestrians regardless of cultural expectations.