Imagine working all day and leaving work tired. You got on the subway, set off for your home, and got off at your stop. Then you started walking to get out of the underground metro station. You come across a long, long escalator that you use every day. When you looked at the escalator, you saw that it was not working and that people themselves were climbing this staircase. You walked up the escalator among the crowd and took your first step. When you took your first step, you saw that your balance was disturbed, although it was no different from a normal ladder. Thinking about why this happened, you went upstairs and then made your way home.
Does this short story sound familiar to you? You’ve probably used an escalator that has stopped for various reasons before. So, when you used a standing escalator, did you feel something strange inside and had difficulty in balancing? Don’t worry if you think this is only for you, a lot of people have this problem. There is even a concept related to it. Let’s take a look at this scientific phenomenon called “Broker Phantom Escalator”.
Why do we lose our balance when climbing up the escalator that is standing still?
When escalators stop, they are actually no different from a normal staircase. In straight logic, when we try to climb these stairs by stepping, we do not expect anything different to happen. However, at this point, our brain and complex working system come into play. This situation, which has been proven by a study defined as the “Broken Escalator Fallacy”, is experienced because our brains get used to the movement of the escalator. As you climb the standing escalator, where you can take your steps faster than normal, accompanied by a giddiness, your brain thinks something is wrong here.
There is an area in our brain for conscious tasks as well as for tasks that we perform unconsciously. Actions such as walking take place in this area. This unconscious system also prevents us from falling when we get on the escalator. Of course, our brain adjusts itself according to the moment when the escalator is walking and takes its steps accordingly. For this reason, even though we see that the escalator is not walking, our steps will be taken as if we are walking. This will cause dizziness and loss of balance.
Experiment for the “Broken Escalator Delusion”
In 2003, two researchers named RF Reynolds and AM Bronstein discovered the strange balance experienced despite being sure that the escalator was not working. They decided to investigate what caused the feeling. The result was the Broken Escalator Phenomenon, that is, the “Broken Escalator Delusion.”
In an experiment, researchers wanted to evoke this feeling, using a sled that users could stand on steadily. They took 10 steps on these sledges, which were stationary at first. Subjects were then asked to take 20 steps while the sled was moving. In the third stage of the experiment, the subjects were informed that the sled would be stationary. The sleds were indeed motionless, but the subjects were fast enough to step forward while stepping on the sled. This experiment, which stunned most of the subjects, also explained the loss of balance experienced in stationary situations such as escalators, treadmills, etc.
Why does our body react like this?
What makes our body react strangely when the escalator is stopped? This is due to the habits of our motor system. Our body, which gathers its previous experiences and climbs an escalator quickly and leaning forward, continues to give the same reaction even if the elevator is stopped. Although we know that vehicles that perform a variety of movements such as escalators and treadmills do not work at that moment, the motor system of our body gives an involuntary response without having the same information. When we can’t find that movement on the opposite side, we experience a loss of balance with a strange feeling.
Source: 1, 2, 3, 4
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