The “door close” buttons on elevators don’t do anything, according to the head of the elevator industry’s trade group. They were phased out starting in 1990 for the Americans With Disabilities Act, but elevator manufacturers still put in fake “door close” buttons because people love pressing them.
So why do they still put them in there? There are two reasons. One, they’re there out of tradition, even though they don’t do anything anymore. And two, people still really like pressing them, because it gives us a sense of control!