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The Behavior of Tourists at the Leaning Tower of Pisa
When traveling to Europe, a visit to Italy is a must. One of the highlights of such a trip is Tuscany, and a visit to the beautiful city of Pisa is certainly on the itinerary. The main attraction in Pisa is the world-famous Leaning Tower.
Upon entering the area around the Leaning Tower, one immediately notices the peculiar behavior of other visitors. They comically contort their bodies, and it takes a moment to realize what they are doing.
The other tourists are taking pictures holding up the tower, making it appear as if they are preventing it from falling. Nearly everyone is doing this, and some seem to visit the site solely for this purpose. They compete for the best spot to capture such an image. As a visitor, this initially seems peculiar, but soon the idea of doing the same and taking such a picture of every fellow traveler arises.
To capture the right perspective, one needs another person to correctly align the camera and provide some directions, like "move slightly to the left; can you lean your upper body forward a bit more..." I wondered how this synchronization of behavior arises and what factors play a role in it.
The most important point is something that has affected everyone. We have seen others and have been influenced by them. After understanding what the other people are doing, we also want to have such a witty and ironic picture. Hence, we simply imitate the behavior of others. This seems natural, especially since the pictures we take this way are not just for ourselves. We immediately decide to send the funny........
© Psychology Today
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