Ifwetendtoignorethesignificanceofelevators,itmightbebecauseridinginthemtendstobesuchabrief,boring,andevenawkwardexperience—onethatcaninvolveunexpectedlymeetingpeoplewithwhomwehavenothingincommon,andanunpleasantawarenessofthefactthatwe’rehangingfromacableinalongpassage.

Inanewbook,Lifted,GermanjournalistandculturalstudiesprofessorAndreasBernarddirectedallhisattentiontothisexperience,studyingtheoriginsofelevatoranditsrelationshiptohumankindandfindingthatridinginanelevatorhasneverbeenatotalcomfortableexperience,“After150years,wearestillnotusedtoit,”Bernardsaid,“Westillhavenotexactlylearnedtocopewiththemixtureofclosenessanddispleasure.”Thatmixture,accordingtoBernard,setstheelevatorrideapartfromjustabouteveryothersituationwefindourselvesinaswegoaboutourlives.

Today,astheworld’surbanpopulationexplodes,andcitiesbecomemorecrowded,taller,andmorecrowded,America’stotalnumberofelevators—900,000atlastcount,accordingtoElevatorWorldmagazine’s“2012VerticalTransportationIndustry”—areaforcethat’sbecomingmoreimportantthanever.Andforthepeoplewhoreally,reallylovethem,itseemslikehightimethatwelookedseriouslyatjustwhatkindofforcetheyare.