People watching

[Bozo Erectus]

Ok all you sleepy, hungover, afk OTers, heres a weird one for you, then Im off to throw the frisbee around with the dog

Do you have a park with a lake near you, where people go to jog or walk around it every morning? Next time you go to one, see if you notice what direction most people are going around the lake. Guaranteed, except for one or two exceptions, everyone will be walking counterclockwise. I swear its true, Im not crazy I dont think its only the people who live around here, Im sure you'll see it too

Doesnt have to be a lake, btw, and large round circular thing where people walk around will do.

 

[CurtSibling]

You'd best get out there with the pooch and have some fresh air, lad!

 

[nonconformist]

WTH? You're kidding right? People go to the park?

 

[Gainy]

People walk around my loch clockwise... psycho

 

[Aphex_Twin]

It's nothing unusual, pothead. If a tornado would whiz by, people are already facing the right direction to run away

 

[Yom]

Now that I think about it, it seems odd to walk around a lake counter-clockwise to me. Imagining myself walking around it clockwise is comfortable, whereas imagining myself walking around it counter-clockwise is a bit uncomfortable (in my mind), if that makes any sense.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

People walk around my loch clockwise... psycho

For real? Maybe the direction people walk has something to do with the placement of the paths leading to the lakeside walkway? At your loch, the location of the access points makes it more likely people will walk clockwise, possibly.

 

[The Last Conformist]

There's no park near hear, but I suppose I'm prone to walk around things CCW rather than CW. I read an article about why that should be some years ago, but I don't remember the conclusion.

 

[classical_hero]

Ok all you sleepy, hungover, afk OTers, heres a weird one for you, then Im off to throw the frisbee around with the dog

Do you have a park with a lake near you, where people go to jog or walk around it every morning? Next time you go to one, see if you notice what direction most people are going around the lake. Guaranteed, except for one or two exceptions, everyone will be walking counterclockwise. I swear its true, Im not crazy I dont think its only the people who live around here, Im sure you'll see it too

Doesnt have to be a lake, btw, and large round circular thing where people walk around will do.

I'm sleepy because it is past my bed time. It's past 11:00PM.

In Perth we have lots of parkas around and the neighbourhood that I live in is great for walking dogs We go clockwise because you are just weird,

 

[Bozo Erectus]

I read an article about why that should be some years ago, but I don't remember the conclusion.

Theres actually literature out there about it? Thank god, Im not going nuts after all! Phew! Im going to have to see what I can google about it.

 

[~Corsair#01~]

Does it have something to do with tribal "protecting your flank" instincts?

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Look what I found

Why is it that so many people and animals, once they start walking in a clockwise manner, find it so difficult to change directions? At the San Francisco Aquarium in Golden Gate Park there is a fish roundabout where the fish unanimously swim in a clockwise direction (or is it counterclockwise?). Occasionally you'll see one fish turn and swim in the other direction, but not for long; as soon as the deviant realizes its mistake, it turns and rejoins the masses.

The same thing seems to apply to the 2.8-mile path around Green Lake here in Seattle. At this time the path, which provided one lane for walkers and one for cyclers, is being remodeled and widened -- undoubtedly to provide separate paths for walkers, joggers, cyclers, skaters, rollers, hoppers, skippers, crawlers, and wrigglers.

I once had an e-mail discussion with a Bay Area friend about the Green Lake phenomenon, as follows:

TO: MISTAH RICK
FROM: JC

If you walk, bike, or skate around the path that circles Green Lake, you will find that almost everybody moves in the same direction, i.e. counterclockwise. Only crazy people, recent immigrants, and rebels like myself dare to walk in a clockwise direction. Since the majority of the population around Green Lake consists of breeder families with children, perhaps walking counterclockwise is the same as walking upstream to spawn and produce babies. Therefore I must be walking downstream.

http://www.coffeebeer.co.uk/doubleshot/vita_coriolis.html

 

[The Last Conformist]

Tangentially, humans are surprisingly bad at working straight. If left without landmarks, people trying to walk in a straight line tend ending up walking in big circles.

The explanation appears to be that there was never any evolutionary pressure to evolve an internal direction-keeper; out on the savannah, you're usualyl zigzagging around obstacles towards a visible landmark, or following a track or watercourse. When simply walking without such external correctors, people tend to take slightly longer steps with their stronger leg, and thus end up walking in circles.

That concludes today's tangential trivia.

 

[ComradeDavo]

There is a small field behind my house/street where people often walk dogs (well thats about all they do in it really) and thinking about it they do indeed all walk around anti-clockwise. In fact when walking around the field, I would indeed choose an anti-clockwise direction. But that might have to do with where I enter it (my house is towards the right hand side, looking out).

Or maybe it's some giant alien conspiracy!

 

[Syterion]

I don't know but from now on I'll make a concerted mental effort to walk clockwise.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Turns out google offers a wealth of wild whacky stuff under "walking counterclockwise". Heres a beauty

Walking counterclockwise is not permitted in someplace. Women are not permitted to visit some secret place.

http://www.airchina.com.cn/en/fh/2_1.htm

Last, so based on what you said, then if one were to ask the few people who are walking clockwise, youd find they were mostly left handed, maybe?

 

[Yom]

Last, so based on what you said, then if one were to ask the few people who are walking clockwise, youd find they were mostly left handed, maybe?

I'm righthanded, though. Maybe it has to do with your stronger leg? My right leg is stronger when it comes to kicking a ball, but my left leg is stronger for jumping (thanks to basketball, where you'd jump off the leg opposite to the hand the ball is in).

 

[The Last Conformist]

That seems likely, but I don't know.

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

Ok all you sleepy, hungover, afk OTers, heres a weird one for you, then Im off to throw the frisbee around with the dog

Do you have a park with a lake near you, where people go to jog or walk around it every morning? Next time you go to one, see if you notice what direction most people are going around the lake. Guaranteed, except for one or two exceptions, everyone will be walking counterclockwise. I swear its true, Im not crazy I dont think its only the people who live around here, Im sure you'll see it too

Doesnt have to be a lake, btw, and large round circular thing where people walk around will do.

You obviously have too much time on your hands.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

You obviously have too much time on your hands.

How busy do you have to be in order to be unable to tell what direction people are walking in?

@Yom, Im right handed too, and more likely to walk counterclockwise, now that I think of it.