Two people are walking towards each other along a narrow pavement - who gives way?

 

两个人沿着一条狭窄的人行道相向而行，谁给谁让路？

 

If it is you, you fall into the 25 percent of people who prefer to step aside.

 

Another 25 percent like to pass first, making the other person stand to one side.

 

The remaining 50 percent make up the third type of pedestrian and vary their strategy.

 

The findings come from study in which researchers from the Technical University of Munich paired up 20 strangers and asked them to walk towards each other without colliding and without speaking.

 

The volunteers also filled in personality questionnaires and were measured and weighed.

 

Interestingly, physical factors such as age, height and gender¹ seemed to have no bearing on pavement etiquette².

 

Nor did traits such as extraversion or shyness, the Journal of Experimental Psychology³ reports.

 

In other words, some of us seem to be simply born to barge⁴ past.

 

A second experiment revealed that the person who passes first isn't as rude as they may initially⁵ appear.

 

It seems they do tend to adjust their path - just not enough to avoid a collision.

 

As a result, it is only when the second person moves out of the way that the problem is solved.

点击收听单词发音