Elevator buttons can sometimes be fickle things \u2014 confusing labels or tricky security systems can start a trip up or down a building off on a slightly sour note. But on the control panel, there\u2019s one button that stands out for its ability to make someone\u2019s day instead of ruining it: the open door button.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no mystery as to what its job is. If the elevator doors are open, pressing and holding the open door button will usually make sure they stay that way. If the doors have started to close, jabbing the button often adorned with an icon of opposing arrows should stop the process and make the elevator accessible again.<\/p>\n

What makes the open door button special is that it gives elevator passengers (the ones standing within arm\u2019s reach of the control panel, anyways) a rare opportunity: the ability to help out a stranger with little to no effort or inconvenience. For many of us, it\u2019s become almost an instinct to press the button when we see someone running or walking with purpose toward the elevator we\u2019re currently in, letting them get on instead of having to wait around for another car to come by.<\/p>\n