Why do people press harder on a remote control when they know the batteries are getting weak?

Question

People, this is another question mean to make you laugh!

Answer 1

LOL...That is a good one! I guess for the same reason people talk louder at people who don't speak their language. Like if you scream they might understand?!
Thanks for the laugh...:)

Answer 2

There are two actually good reasons for this, the first one being that they think they didn't make the contact in the circuit the first time they pressed the button, so they try again more forcefully to make the connection. The other reason is that, coincidentally, when you press harder on the button you tend to hold the button down longer, and if the batteries are weak, the capacitors in the circuitry might take longer to charge up and discharge, so by holding the button down longer, it gives them time to react and do their thing. Either way, people do it because it occasionally works, and as any psychologist will tell you, negative reinforcement or inconsistent positive reinforcement is a much more powerful behavioral modifier than consistent positive reinforcement -- if it only happens some of the time, you'll keep doing it more often in hope that THIS time it will happen.

The other purely psychological reason for hitting the button harder is that, like with a lot of physical actions, part of you wants to believe that you can MAKE things happen if you just try a little harder. With a remote control, there's only so much you can do, so you either press the button harder or you hit it four or five times when one usually will do; it makes you feel like you're doing something about the problem, when really all you're doing is increasing your blood pressure level when it doesn't work.

Answer 3

When a battery is failing power may still be fluctuating from it's working state to a point just below that. When people press the button and hold it they are hoping for a surge of power by doing that. This surge they feel may bring the power state up by chance luck at the same time the inner buffer of the remote is transmitting the command signal. It is a "remote" possibility that this could happen. (no pun intended)

Answer 4

because under the button is a metl plate that makes a conection to a circut boared when bateries are low enegey is harder to get to move so the conection has to be better there fore a person has to push harder so there is little space between the button plate and circut board transferer

Answer 5

Drain Rammage

Answer 6

same reason they stand up and walk slowly towards the tv pressing the remote until theyre right up close to the thing but STILL using the remote !!

These higher primates eh!! Give them an opposable thumb and they just gotta use it !!

Answer 7

Because the more pressure you put on the buttons the deeper into the batteries you go.

Answer 8

because as humans we think we can control something by will alone and most probably because we are just too dang lazy to get up off our lazy butts to get new batteries....the solution? keep a fresh supply of batteries right next to your recliner !

Answer 9

Same folks that press the elevator "call" button several times...
I guess they think it'll make it show up quicker.

Answer 10

I think you already know the answer.Havent you done that any time.
Human psychology- the primitive part of your brain never realizes that , the problem lies within yourself.