8 ms·

I'd think it'd be a disaster if those screens were to malfunction mid-flight and all of the sudden people realized they were in a box with no way to see out. I'

I'd think it'd be a disaster if those screens were to malfunction mid-flight and all of the sudden people realized they were in a box with no way to see out. I'm sure that would cause at least one person per flight to have a panic/anxiety attack. It's similar to walking with your eyes closed, you start to panic after a few seconds because you can't see where you're going and lose your sense of positioning/direction/balance. I hate flying, I don't think I could manage to make it on a plane with no windows at all.

PuffinBlue 8y ago
And yet, millions of people are able to handle tunnels everyday without incident. Metro lines don't tend to have much visible outside them (if anything at all save for some flashing lights), and there are extended scenarios like the Channel Tunnel where passengers basically don't see anything for over 30 minutes.
- pweissbrod 8y ago
  if the tunnel was a tin can 3,000+ meters in the sky thats a different story
  - PuffinBlue 8y ago
    Only in the mind, and I think the large majority of people wouldn't care much for the difference. Just make sure they can plug into Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Social Media of choice and quite literally most people wouldn't care in the slightest. That's not to say the negative reaction of a small minority wouldn't be vastly increased, but I think the masses would still be perfectly fine.
    - taneq 8y ago
      > Only in the mind You say that like there's anywhere else that it matters
      - Cerium 8y ago
        Claustrophobia of the feet; that's why I wear sandals.
    - lou1306 8y ago
      > That's not to say the negative reaction of a small minority wouldn't be vastly increased The main problem I see with this is that both the small minority and the large majority are locked together inside a tin can speeding through the stratosphere. I'd rather not find out how fast panic might propagate under such conditions.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- mhb 8y ago
  People also do OK in movie theaters, etc.
  - reaperducer 8y ago
    Movie theaters are huge space. Jets are a small space. And I don't have to be in a movie theater for 13 hours straight.
    - makapuf 8y ago
      Ok for security reasons or the odd claustrophobic person keep two windows just in case and keep 99% of benefits .
- francisofascii 8y ago
  The dimly lit walkway adjacent the track gives assurance an escape is available.
  - nkoren 8y ago
    On a lot of metros (eg. the deep tunnels in London) this isn't a thing. Doesn't seem to matter.
    - jessaustin 8y ago
      I know a couple of claustrophobic people. It "doesn't matter" because they wouldn't be caught dead in such a location. If it's OK not to have these people on planes (and maybe when everything is accounted it is OK), you're right.
      - mynameisvlad 8y ago
        If they're claustrophobic enough to the point where they can't even be in that position, then how can they handle a plane as it stands, even with windows? It's not like you can break the window in case of emergencies, and if anything, it's reinforcing the fact that you're 30k feet in the air in a tiny sealed box.
        jessaustin 8y ago
        I'm not claustrophobic, so I can't explain exactly, but I think the evidence of altitude actually counteracts this effect, rather than compounding it as you suggest. In general, we wouldn't expect psychological maladies to present in reasonable ways.
        PuffinBlue 8y ago
        Put a window under your plane seat perhaps? /s
- rajathagasthya 8y ago
  30 minutes is doable. Emirates has 16+ hour long haul flights.
- fancyfish 8y ago
  As a guy who gets anxiety on planes, it's because of the claustrophobia. In a tunnel, I am moving freely. In a plane, I'm stuck inside the plane for the duration of the flight, and I can barely move given the only moving you can do is to the lavatory and back.
anoncoward111 8y ago
Eh, I hate flying and I have a ton of anxiety. But when I'm on a train in a tunnel, theoretically I can't see anything and it doesn't bother me too much.
- PrimHelios 8y ago
  There's a big difference between being on a train in a tunnel and being in a plane several thousand feet in the air.
  - anoncoward111 8y ago
    I am acutely aware of that difference- however, both scenarios are enclosed tubes.
    - Asooka 8y ago
      And your brain is wholly enclosed in a sphere anyway, which itself is part in your body, so you kind of spend your whole life encased in a tube with no way out! Thus, rationally proving that claustrophobia is a myth and anyone claiming to suffer from it is no more credible than a flat-earther! yes this is sarcasm
      - anoncoward111 8y ago
        I literally suffer from claustrophobia and agoraphobia you sarcastic nitwit I'm trying to explain to you that a window with some clouds does not alleviate my claustrophobia. So, whether the windows are virtual or not make no difference to me, even if one malfunctions... Jesus
  - kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
    In a train tunnel you could be suddenly be crushed by rock or water. You have time to contemplate your fate in a plane.
- ajnin 8y ago
  The train has window. In my experience tunnels are always lit a little bit and you can see the wall passing by. Also it's rare to stay in a tunnel for more than a few minutes.

PuffinBlue 8y ago

And yet, millions of people are able to handle tunnels everyday without incident. Metro lines don't tend to have much visible outside them (if anything at all save for some flashing lights), and there are extended scenarios like the Channel Tunnel where passengers basically don't see anything for over 30 minutes.

pweissbrod 8y ago
if the tunnel was a tin can 3,000+ meters in the sky thats a different story
- PuffinBlue 8y ago
  Only in the mind, and I think the large majority of people wouldn't care much for the difference. Just make sure they can plug into Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Social Media of choice and quite literally most people wouldn't care in the slightest. That's not to say the negative reaction of a small minority wouldn't be vastly increased, but I think the masses would still be perfectly fine.
  - taneq 8y ago
    > Only in the mind You say that like there's anywhere else that it matters
    - Cerium 8y ago
      Claustrophobia of the feet; that's why I wear sandals.
  - lou1306 8y ago
    > That's not to say the negative reaction of a small minority wouldn't be vastly increased The main problem I see with this is that both the small minority and the large majority are locked together inside a tin can speeding through the stratosphere. I'd rather not find out how fast panic might propagate under such conditions.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
mhb 8y ago
People also do OK in movie theaters, etc.
- reaperducer 8y ago
  Movie theaters are huge space. Jets are a small space. And I don't have to be in a movie theater for 13 hours straight.
  - makapuf 8y ago
    Ok for security reasons or the odd claustrophobic person keep two windows just in case and keep 99% of benefits .
francisofascii 8y ago
The dimly lit walkway adjacent the track gives assurance an escape is available.
- nkoren 8y ago
  On a lot of metros (eg. the deep tunnels in London) this isn't a thing. Doesn't seem to matter.
  - jessaustin 8y ago
    I know a couple of claustrophobic people. It "doesn't matter" because they wouldn't be caught dead in such a location. If it's OK not to have these people on planes (and maybe when everything is accounted it is OK), you're right.
    - mynameisvlad 8y ago
      If they're claustrophobic enough to the point where they can't even be in that position, then how can they handle a plane as it stands, even with windows? It's not like you can break the window in case of emergencies, and if anything, it's reinforcing the fact that you're 30k feet in the air in a tiny sealed box.
      - jessaustin 8y ago
        I'm not claustrophobic, so I can't explain exactly, but I think the evidence of altitude actually counteracts this effect, rather than compounding it as you suggest. In general, we wouldn't expect psychological maladies to present in reasonable ways.
        PuffinBlue 8y ago
        Put a window under your plane seat perhaps? /s
rajathagasthya 8y ago
30 minutes is doable. Emirates has 16+ hour long haul flights.
fancyfish 8y ago
As a guy who gets anxiety on planes, it's because of the claustrophobia. In a tunnel, I am moving freely. In a plane, I'm stuck inside the plane for the duration of the flight, and I can barely move given the only moving you can do is to the lavatory and back.

anoncoward111 8y ago

Eh, I hate flying and I have a ton of anxiety. But when I'm on a train in a tunnel, theoretically I can't see anything and it doesn't bother me too much.

PrimHelios 8y ago
There's a big difference between being on a train in a tunnel and being in a plane several thousand feet in the air.
- anoncoward111 8y ago
  I am acutely aware of that difference- however, both scenarios are enclosed tubes.
  - Asooka 8y ago
    And your brain is wholly enclosed in a sphere anyway, which itself is part in your body, so you kind of spend your whole life encased in a tube with no way out! Thus, rationally proving that claustrophobia is a myth and anyone claiming to suffer from it is no more credible than a flat-earther! yes this is sarcasm
    - anoncoward111 8y ago
      I literally suffer from claustrophobia and agoraphobia you sarcastic nitwit I'm trying to explain to you that a window with some clouds does not alleviate my claustrophobia. So, whether the windows are virtual or not make no difference to me, even if one malfunctions... Jesus
- kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
  In a train tunnel you could be suddenly be crushed by rock or water. You have time to contemplate your fate in a plane.
ajnin 8y ago
The train has window. In my experience tunnels are always lit a little bit and you can see the wall passing by. Also it's rare to stay in a tunnel for more than a few minutes.