Living in residence comes with many enjoyable and memorable experiences. However, I have noticed a particular phenomenon that has shocked me. I spoke with multiple residents,  and many international students reported being frequently zapped when touching certain surfaces like doorknobs or elevator buttons! The commonality among international students made me highly interested in researching this phenomenon. Why do more international students notice cases of static shock in their day-to-day lives on campus than Canadian students? 

There are multiple factors that may contribute to static shock without our even noticing. The primary reason for this phenomenon is the distribution of electrons across surfaces at close proximity to each other. You may have noticed that the residential suites have carpeted floors in the bedrooms. While we walk on carpeting, our feet or shoes rub against it. As a result, electrons transfer from the carpet to our body, and this builds up electrons in our body. Then, when we touch conductive surfaces such as elevator buttons, electrons transfer from our bodies to these surfaces. We feel this as a static shock. Given that carpeted flooring is not as common in other places around the world, static shock may therefore seem particularly unusual to and occur at apparently higher frequency for international students. 

Another factor that bolsters this effect is the number of layers and pieces of clothing worn during the cold winters here. Toronto winters may be much colder for some students compared to where they came from. More layers worn means more material to rub against each other. Once again, this enables the transfer of electrons from one surface onto another. 

Colder winters also means less moisture in the air. Dry air is a worse conductor of electricity than humid air. This means when electrons are transferred to our body as explained above, it is more difficult for them to escape, since the surrounding air won’t pick them up.  

Now you know why static shock occurs. So, it should not come as a surprise anymore – until the next time you get zapped by the buttons at the Innis Residence elevator!