Folium: What “Personal Space” Means to the Rest of World via Lifehacker
Folium: What “Personal Space” Means to the Rest of World via Lifehacker (photo by dconvertini via Flickr)
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Do you have a personal space limit? Have you heard of a “personal bubble”? According to National Geographic, “The psychology of studying personal space, or “peripersonal space” as it is known, tells us there really is such a thing. The brain computes a buffer zone around the body, which is very flexible. It changes in size, depending on context, computed in a manner that’s largely unconscious.” As it turns out, there are people who think like you all around the world when it comes to personal space.
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Chart from Preferred Interpersonal Distances: A Global Comparison.
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Think about yourself walking through a large crowd of people. Maybe you have visited Disney World, or a festival where you were constantly surrounded by people on either side. If you have ever walked through a large crowd of people and have felt a need to have your own “safe space” to walk a clear path, you have experienced a limit on your personal space. That limit can change depending on the circumstances. It could be that you have been in a house full of family members that you know and love, and if they come into your personal space, it doesn’t bother you.
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“Countries that greatly value their personal space include Romania, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Uganda. Participants from all five of those places would prefer it if you stood more than 120 cm away, or roughly four feet. But participants from Argentina, Peru, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Austria don’t mind if you chill about 90 cm away, or less than three feet. The U.S. isn’t too far off from that, expecting strangers to keep a cool 95 cm distance between them.” – Lifehacker
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According to Lifehacker, there was a recent study published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. The study shows that culture plays a significant role when it comes to personal space. The study used a graphic-based survey where the researchers asked 9,000 participants from 42 different countries how far strangers, acquaintances, and close friends would need to stand from them to still feel like they were not in their personal space.
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Proxemics is the study of personal space which explains the branch of knowledge that deals with the amount of space that people feel it necessary to set between themselves and others. It’s true that wherever you travel around the world, there is something you most likely will have in common with the locals, and that’s keeping your distance. Especially now, with the current state of the world pandemic, there’s even more reason to stay at least six feet away and allow a buffer of space between you and the next person.
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Something interesting that was found in the study was that the researchers suggest climate may have something to do with these differences in personal space. They found participants in colder countries were more than happy to cozy up with their close friends, maybe in an effort to keep warm. While living in the Andes Mountains, I found this to be true. During the winter months, where it would sleet and rain, and the wind would blow a chill down your spine, I felt that it didn’t hurt to be closer to the people around me simply to feel their warmth. As expected, knowing somebody closes the gap for most cultures, especially if you know them pretty well. Like I mentioned, if you are at a family party and a nephew or niece approaches your personal space and you feel uncomfortable, that’s something to think about.
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“The brain computes a buffer zone around the body, which is very flexible. It changes in size, depending on context, computed in a manner that’s largely unconscious.” – National Geographic
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How much space would you say is your personal bubble? How much is too close? Would you rather hangout with the up-close-and-personal Norwegians, or Saudi Arabians who like to keep their distance?
Julie Thatcher
LEAF Contributor
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