Two people are walking towards each other along a narrow pavement – who gives way?
兩個人沿著一條狹窄的人行道相向而行，誰給誰讓路？

If it is you, you fall into the 25 percent of people who prefer to step aside.
如果是你讓路，你就歸入了25%喜歡站到一邊讓路的人群。

Another 25 percent like to pass first, making the other person stand to one side.
還有25%的人喜歡先通過，讓對方站在一邊讓路。

The remaining 50 percent make up the third type of pedestrian and vary their strategy.
其余50%歸入第三種類型的行人，他們會改變策略。

The findings come from study in which researchers from the Technical University of Munich paired up 20 strangers and asked them to walk towards each other without colliding and without speaking.
這項研究結果來自慕尼黑工業大學，研究人員將20個陌生人進行配對，要求他們在不發生碰撞也不說話的情況下向對方走去。

The volunteers also filled in personality questionnaires and were measured and weighed.
研究志愿者還填寫了性格問卷，并測量了身高和體重。

Interestingly, physical factors such as age, height and gender seemed to have no bearing on pavement etiquette.
有趣的是，年齡、身高和性別等自然因素似乎與人行道上的禮儀沒什么關系。

Nor did traits such as extraversion or shyness, the Journal of Experimental Psychology reports.
《實驗心理學》雜志報道稱，這與外向或害羞等性格特點也沒有關系。

In other words, some of us seem to be simply born to barge past.
換言之，我們中的一些人似乎只是天生喜歡橫沖直撞地先過去。

A second experiment revealed that the person who passes first isn’t as rude as they may initially appear.
另一項實驗顯示，先通過的人并不像他們最初表現的那樣粗魯。

It seems they do tend to adjust their path – just not enough to avoid a collision.
他們似乎傾向于調整自己的路線——只是不足以避免碰撞。

As a result, it is only when the second person moves out of the way that the problem is solved.
因此，只有當另一個人讓路時問題才能解決。

Etiquette expert William Hanson said that the custom of men walking on the outside of the pavement to protect women from traffic, splashes and other dangers has fallen by the wayside.
禮儀專家威廉?漢森說，男人走在人行道外側保護女性遠離車輛、濺濕等危險的傳統做法已經被拋到一邊。

Mr Hanson said: ‘Traditionally, men let the woman they were accompanying walk closest to the building, away from the pavement edge.
漢森先生說：“傳統上，男性讓同行的女性走靠近建筑的一邊，遠離人行道的邊緣。

How to avoid that awkward 'pavement dance'
如何避免“讓路卻讓向同一側”的尷尬？

The German study doesn’t address what to do in the common but embarrassing situation, in which both pedestrians repeatedly dodge out of each other’s way in the same direction, giving the impression of dancing together on the pavement.
兩位行人互相讓路，但反復讓向同一側，看上去就好像在人行道上一起跳舞，這種現象常見又尷尬。這項德國研究并未提及這時應該怎么做。

But Mr Hanson said: ‘I tend to pick a side of the pavement, stick to it, and politely gesture to the empty space for the stranger to use.’
但漢森先生說：“我總是選定人行道的一邊，不換方向，禮貌地作出手勢，讓對方從另一側通行。“

THREE TYPES OF PEDESTRIAN
三種行人類型

Bumbler - Most people fall into this category. Scientists found 50 percent can't make up their mind, and vary their strategy when walking in crowds.
跌跌撞撞者——大部分人屬于這一類。科學家們發現50%的人拿不定主意，在人群中行走時會改變策略。

Barger - Around 25 percent of people like to pass first, making the other person stand to one side. The person who passes first isn’t as rude as they may initially appear.
橫沖直撞者—— 25%左右的人喜歡先過去，讓其他人站到一邊。先走過去的人并不像他們最初看起來那么粗魯。

It seems they do tend to adjust their path – just not enough to avoid a collision.
他們似乎傾向于調整自己的路線——只是不足以避免碰撞。

Polite- Another 25 percent prefer to step aside. Interestingly, physical factors such as age, height and gender seemed to have no bearing on pavement etiquette.
有禮貌——另外25%的人傾向于站到一邊讓路。有趣的是，年齡、身高和性別等自然因素似乎與人行道上的禮儀沒什么關系。

Vocabulary

fall by the wayside：半途而廢，中途退出

英文來源：每日郵報
翻譯：實習生朱善美
編審：yaning