As the wheels hit the tarmac, the passengers in the airline cabin erupted into applause.
I don’t remember where I was going, nor the airline, but I do remember that applause and being surprised by it—never having heard it on on a previous flight.
I found it to be a funny insight into human psychology.
Firstly, the applause. It’s contagious. If a small group start clapping—say, at a good joke at a comedy show—the rest of the audience join immediately. Clapping is a sound we’ve been conditioned to respond to.
Secondly, the landing. Almost all passengers are aware of, and feel some relief, upon landing. The journey has ended and we can all move on to the thing that awaits us at our destination.
When you pair these two things together, it creates an automatic, knee-jerk reaction among passengers on a plane. And when this happens, it’s fun to deliberately make it happen.
Maru and I tried it on our trip earlier this year to Malaysia. Moments after we started clapping, it began to ripple through the plane. People automatically joined in because their minds connected the clapping with the landing.
So now I resolve to start the clap upon landing on every flight.
Perhaps on your next flight you’ll give it a go!