Colgate University is no stranger to kind acts of service. Compassion is rooted in our day-to-day values, almost to the extent that we, as students, can no longer identify it. Door-holding is one of these small acts that go partially unnoticed by Colgate’s student body.
It was my first week on campus in August 2024 when I became aware of this minuscule but momentous act. First, on move-in day as I hastily grabbed as many belongings as possible in my hands and attempted to walk up multiple flights of stairs, my current community leader ran ahead to open and hold the door for me. She greeted me, introduced herself and quickly focused on the next person who needed to get into the building. Later, throughout orientation week, I seldom opened a door independently unless I did it for another classmate. Was this act Colgate’s way of trying to make a good impression in the early days? Or was it a gesture I was personally not accustomed to back home? Neither, I learned, was the case.
There are a few theories within the world of sociology and psychology that work towards understanding the impact of door-holding in modern society. The predominant theory is that of minimized social effort. When we open doors for one another consistently, we reduce the energy another would need to exert in order to open the door for themselves.
Psychologist Art Markman commented on this theory, telling Psychology Today, “I’m not saying that we are making this calculation consciously. I do think we have a habit of performing social graces like opening doors. However, these cultural practices succeed because they help people to minimize the collective effort that needs to be spent on daily tasks.”
While I agree that this tendency to reduce group effort is instinctual for all human beings, other factors contribute to the frequency of door-holding on college campuses specifically.
In order to formulate a proper analysis of the importance of door-holding at Colgate, there needs to be a consideration of the immediate reaction a student has when a door is held for them.
“I like it. In the winter months, specifically, it is nice not to have to worry about touching an icy door handle,” first-year Marina Garcia said. “However, it can be an awkward interaction when someone you know is further away, and you don’t know whether or not to hold the door for them. Regardless, I feel complimented when someone thinks to do that for me, and it definitely leaves me with a good impression of them.”
While door-holding might have its awkward moments, holding the door out of courtesy leads to a small but essential moment of interaction between individuals, as it forces us to look up and take a moment from our own lives to acknowledge someone else. Whether it is someone you know, someone you are beginning to know or a complete stranger, that moment of “Thank you!” and “No problem!” is a critical exchange. Talking, specifically thanking another person, should not be an awkward or foreign interaction. Human beings are social creatures, and if small acts like holding the door open are seen as uncomfortable, then perhaps they are more critical than ever.
A 2023 Gallup survey on nearly 2,500 American college students concluded that slightly over one-third of students felt lonely or sad “a lot” the day prior to being interviewed. When the door is held, you are forced to acknowledge the holder physically and verbally, and on a smaller college campus, this allows us all to uphold interconnectivity between students. Loneliness, according to the survey, is an issue impacting college-age students predominantly; therefore, there is an increased need for us to make organic interaction frequent.
The gesture of door-holding is indeed universally upheld, but there is a limit to its importance based on the community in which it resides. At Colgate, we live, learn, sleep, eat and exist with our peers for months. With an era of social life that revolves around social media and a lack of necessity to interact with those around us physically, it is vital that we cling to the small gestures that help us feel closer to each other. Though at home door-holding might not be the emphasis due to population density, here at Colgate, door-holding is a byproduct of our desire to feel closer to one another and to help even strangers in small ways.
It may be awkward to hold the door for someone ten feet away at times, but if that is all it takes to establish and carry out a tradition that provides connection in an era of loneliness, then the pros indeed outweigh the cons.
