Regulation Of Interpersonal Distance Research Articles

Keeping distance or getting closer: How others' emotions shape approach-avoidance postural behaviors and preferred interpersonal distance.

Understanding the influence of emotions on social interactions is important for a global understanding of the dynamics of human behavior. In this study, we investigated the interplay between emotions, spontaneous approach or avoidance tendencies, and the regulation of interpersonal distance. Fifty-seven healthy adults participated in a three-part experiment involving exposure to approaching or withdrawing emotional faces (neutral, happy, sad, fearful, disgusted, angry). The sequence began with an initial computerized stop-distance task, followed by a postural task in which participants' approach or avoidance tendencies were quantified via center of pressure (CoP-Y) displacements on a force platform, and concluded with a final computerized stop-distance task. Our findings revealed a gradient in postural responses, with the most forward CoP-Y displacements for neutral and happy faces, indicative of approach tendencies. These were followed by lesser forward displacements for sad and fearful faces, and most pronounced backward displacements for disgusted and angry faces, indicating avoidance. Furthermore, we observed modulations in participants' preferred interpersonal distance based on emotional cues, with neutral and happy faces associated with shorter distances, and disgusted and angry faces linked to larger distances. Despite these similar results, no direct correlation was found between CoP-Y and preferred interpersonal distance, underscoring a dissociation between spontaneous and voluntary social behaviors. These results contribute to a better understanding of how emotional expressions shape social interactions and underscore the importance of considering emotional cues, postural action tendencies, and interpersonal distance in facilitating successful social interactions.

The role of adult attachment and minority stress in isolating behaviors perpetration among lesbian and gay people in Italy

AbstractAttention to Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence (SSIPV) has increased in the last decades. Isolating behaviors, however, have been poorly studied, despite the increased vulnerability to isolation experienced by gay and lesbian couples. The aim of the present study was to examine the independent effects of minority stressors (experiences of discrimination, perceived stigma, and internalized homonegativity), emotion dysregulation, and adult attachment dimensions (attachment avoidance and anxiety) on isolating behaviors perpetration. One hundred and forty-eight gay or lesbian individuals (Mage = 32.48; SD = 10.91) involved in a same-sex relationship participated in the study and completed a self-report online questionnaire. A multiple regression model was used to examine the relationship between the variables in the study. Only attachment anxiety was associated with isolating behaviors. In contrast, attachment avoidance, experiences of discrimination, perceived stigma, internalized homonegativity, and emotion dysregulation did not influence perpetration of isolating behaviors. The present study highlights the influence of attachment anxiety on isolating behaviors, suggesting the role of dysfunctional mechanisms of interpersonal distance regulation. The obtained results provide information at the theoretical and clinical level.

Altered interpersonal distance regulation in autism spectrum disorder.

Interpersonal distance regulation is an essential element of social communication. Its impairment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is widely acknowledged among practitioners, but only a handful of studies reported empirical research in real-life settings, focusing mainly on children. Interpersonal distance in adults with ASD and related autonomic functions received less attention. Here, we measured interpersonal distance along with heart rate variability (HRV) in adults with ASD, and tested the modulatory effects of eye-contact and attribution. Twenty-two adults diagnosed with ASD and 21 matched neurotypical controls participated in our study from October 2019 to February 2020. Our experimental design combined the modified version of the stop distance paradigm with HRV measurement controlling for eye contact between the experimenter and the participant to measure interpersonal distance. Still, we did not detect significant modulatory effect of eye contact and attribution. Our results showed a greater preferred distance in ASD. Moreover, we found lower baseline HRV and reduced HRV reactivity in ASD; however, these autonomic measurements could not predict preferred interpersonal distance. Our study highlights the importance of interpersonal space regulation in ASD: it might be considered that people with ASD need individually variable, presumably greater interpersonal distance. In addition, regardless of the distance they may have reduced autonomic regulatory capacity in social situations. Our results could help shape future experiments with sophisticated designs to grasp the complexity and underlying factors of distance regulation in typical and atypical populations.

Lapses in the Person Radar: ADHD Symptoms Predict Difficulty in Interpersonal Distancing

Objective: Across contexts, from social cognition to the COVID-19 pandemic response, individual variation in the regulation of interpersonal distance has typically been viewed as a voluntary choice. Here we examine the frequency of unintentional lapses in interpersonal distancing, and their relationship with childhood ADHD symptoms. Method: We administered a novel measure of difficulty with interpersonal distancing across three undergraduate samples (total N = 1,225), in addition to measures of recalled childhood ADHD symptoms, mind wandering, and hyperfocus. Results: Almost all (>97%) participants reported unintentional lapses in maintaining interpersonal distance, with 16% experiencing such lapses frequently. Thirty percent of the variance in these reports was accounted for by attentional traits: Inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptoms jointly predicted difficulties with interpersonal distancing, with the former relationship fully mediated by hyperfocus and spontaneous mind wandering. Conclusion: Both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptoms confer vulnerability to frequent unintentional lapses in interpersonal distancing.

Neural Correlates of Variation in Personal Space and Social Functioning in Schizophrenia and Healthy Individuals.

BackgroundChanges in the regulation of interpersonal distance, or “personal space” (PS), have been repeatedly observed in schizophrenia and, in some studies, linked to negative symptoms. However, the neurobiological basis of these impairments is poorly understood.MethodsPersonal space measurements, functional connectivity of a brain network sensitive to intrusions into PS, and symptoms of social withdrawal and anhedonia were assessed, and associations among these outcomes measured, in 33 individuals with a psychotic disorder (primarily schizophrenia [SCZ]) and 36 control subjects (CON).ResultsPersonal space size was significantly higher (P = .002) and PS permeability (reflecting the capacity to tolerate intrusions into PS) was significantly lower (P = .021) in the SCZ relative to the CON group, and both measures were significantly correlated with social anhedonia and withdrawal in the full sample (all P < .007). Moreover, functional connectivity between the PS and default mode (DM) networks was significantly correlated with the permeability, but not the size, of PS in the full sample and in the SCZ and CON groups separately, and with social withdrawal in the SCZ group. Lastly, the association between PS-DM network connectivity and social withdrawal in the SCZ group was fully mediated by PS permeability.DiscussionNeural and behavioral aspects of PS regulation are linked to social motivation in both healthy individuals and those with psychotic disorders, suggesting that measurements of PS could serve as transdiagnostic markers of social functioning.

Altered interpersonal distance regulation in autism spectrum disorder

IntroductionInterpersonal distance regulation is an essential element of social communication. Its impairment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is widely acknowledged among practitioners, but only a handful of studies reported empirical research. However, these studies did not measure the alterations of vegetative functions related to interpersonal distance.ObjectivesWe introduced a new experimental design to systematically measure interpersonal distance along with heart rate variability (HRV) in adults with ASD and tested the modulatory effect of intentionality, eye contact, moving activity, and attribution.MethodsTwenty-two adults diagnosed with ASD and 21 matched neurotypical controls participated in our study from 2019 October to 2020 February. Our new experimental design combined the modified version of the stop distance paradigm with HRV measurement controlling for eye contact between the experimenter and the participant to measure interpersonal distance in incidental and intentional conditions.ResultsOur results showed greater preferred distance in ASD in the intentional (W=103, p=0.002) but not in the incidental condition. These results were altered with eye contact and the participant’s role (active vs. passive) in the stop distance task (F(1,41)=6.150, p=0.017). Moreover, we found lower baseline HRV (t =-2.060, p=0.023) and reduced HRV reactivity in ASD; however, these vegetative measurements could not predict preferred interpersonal distance.ConclusionsOur study highlights the importance of interpersonal distance regulation in ASD and the need for comprehensive experimental designs to grasp the complexity and underlying factors of distance regulation in typical and atypical populations.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

A Bayesian approach to reveal the key role of mask wearing in modulating projected interpersonal distance during the first COVID-19 outbreak.

Humans typically create and maintain social bonds through interactions that occur at close social distances. The interpersonal distance of at least 1 m recommended as a relevant measure for COVID-19 contagion containment requires a significant change in everyday behavior. In a web-based experimental study conducted during the first pandemic wave (mid-April 2020), we asked 242 participants to regulate their preferred distance towards confederates who did or did not wear protective masks and gloves and whose COVID-19 test results were positive, negative, or unknown. Information concerning dispositional factors (perceived vulnerability to disease, moral attitudes, and prosocial tendencies) and situational factors (perceived severity of the situation in the country, frequency of physical and virtual social contacts, and attitudes toward quarantine) that may modulate compliance with safety prescriptions was also acquired. A Bayesian analysis approach was adopted. Individual differences did not modulate interpersonal distance. We found strong evidence in favor of a reduction of interpersonal distance towards individuals wearing protective equipment and who tested negative to COVID-19. Importantly, shorter interpersonal distances were maintained towards confederates wearing protective gear, even when their COVID-19 test result was unknown or positive. This protective equipment-related regulation of interpersonal distance may reflect an underestimation of perceived vulnerability to infection; this perception must be discouraged when pursuing individual and collective health-safety measures.

Self-concept and Regulation of Interpersonal Distance in Close Relationships: A Study with Comfortable Interpersonal Distance Test

هدف: تنظیم فاصلة بینافردی در برهم­ کنش ­های اجتماعی یک مؤلفة اساسی در کیفیت روابط نزدیک انسان­ ها است. این فاصله در وضعیت­ های روان­ شناختی و افراد مختلف به شیوه­ های متفاوتی تنظیم می­ گردد. هدف از مطالعة حاضر بررسی فاصلة بینافردی مطبوع در افراد واجد خودپندارة مثبت و منفی بود. روش: در این مطالعه 47 دانشجوی واجد خودپندارة مثبت با 47 دانشجوی واجد خودپندارة منفی در انتخاب فاصلة بینافردی مطبوع هنگام مواجهه با شخصیت­ های مادر، شریک عاطفی، دوست صمیمی، تصویر خود در کودکی، تصویر خود در زمان حال، فروشنده، و دزد مورد مقایسه قرار گرفتند. کلیة شرکت­ کنندگان به نسخة اصلاح ­شده و کامپیوتری آزمون فاصلة بینافردی مطبوع در دو حالت منفعل (وقتی دیگران به آن­ها نزدیک می ­شوند) و فعال (وقتی خودشان به دیگری نزدیک می­ شوند) پاسخ دادند. یافته­ ها: نتایج تحلیل واریانس با اندازه­ های مکرر نشان داد که گروه واجد خودپندارة منفی به­طور معناداری فاصلة بینافردی بزرگ­تری را در قیاس با گروه واجد خودپندارة مثبت حین مواجهه با تمامی شخصیت ­ها (به­جز فروشنده و دزد) انتخاب کردند. نتیجه­ گیری: نتایج این مطالعه ضمن تأکید بر نقش از خودبیگانگی در تنظیم فاصلة بینافردی با دیگران، در چهارچوب نظریه­ های روابط موضوعی و دلبستگی مورد بحث قرار گرفت.

No distance is too far between friends: Associations of comfortable interpersonal distance with PTSD and anxiety symptoms in traumatized individuals

IntroductionPrevious research indicates that traumatized individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms may show alterations in interpersonal distance regulation that are not evident in traumatized individuals without PTSD symptoms. However, the underlying mechanisms of these alterations are yet to be investigated. Moreover, it is not clear whether altered interpersonal distance regulation is correlated with trauma-related psychopathology.ObjectivesThe current study investigated behavioral and neurophysiological markers of interpersonal distance regulation as predictors of PTSD and anxiety in traumatized firefighters.MethodsTwenty-four active-duty firefighters (M = 30.58, SD = 3.62) completed an experimental task that measures comfortable interpersonal distance. During the task, event-related potentials were recorded to assess attentional processing as reflected in the P1 and N1 components. Trauma-related psychopathology was assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale and the state version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.ResultsParticipants who did not choose a closer distance towards friends as compared to strangers experienced greater anxiety post-trauma. On a neurophysiological level, participants who showed attentional avoidance towards strangers reported more PTSD symptoms. By contrast, participants who showed hypervigilant attention towards strangers reported greater anxiety.ConclusionsThe results demonstrate associations between interpersonal distance regulation and psychopathology after trauma, shedding light on the underlying processes of interpersonal distance regulation in anxiety and PTSD. Future studies should re-investigate these associations in a larger sample and explore potential implications for the prevention and treatment of trauma-related psychopathology.

A grammatical construction in the service of interpersonal distance regulation. The case of the Polish directive infinitive construction

Abstract The aim of the paper is to consider the pragmatic effects of the Polish (Proszę) ‘request1 SG. NON-PAST.’ + VINF construction in different contexts. The specific research problem is how these effects are related to the conceptual make-up of the construction. The framework for the analysis is the theory of cognitive grammar (cf. e. g. Langacker 1987, 1991, 2008, 2009). The analysis starts with an account of the conceptual make-up of the construction. Then, its selected uses are considered, with emphasis on the pragmatic effects in the relevant contexts. The study offers a qualitative analysis of two kinds of data: a sample of hand-picked utterances and a corpus of utterances extracted from the National Corpus of Polish (NCP). The claim made in the study is that the construction profiles a process figuring in a directive scenario in the role of the process the speaker wishes the hearer to engage in. At the same time, it involves defocusing of the trajector of the profiled process, identified with the hearer. The construction’s pragmatic effects in specific contexts are claimed to follow from how this trajector defocusing is put in correspondence with specific aspects of the actual ground.

No distance is too far between friends: associations of comfortable interpersonal distance with PTSD and anxiety symptoms in Israeli firefighters

ABSTRACT Background: Previous research indicates that PTSD patients may show alterations in interpersonal distance regulation (IDR). However, it is not clear whether altered IDR is correlated with psychopathology after trauma and whether attentional processes might be involved in these alterations. Objective: The current study investigated IDR and attentional processing in a sample of Israeli firefighters. Method: Twenty-four participants completed an experimental IDR task as well as measures of PTSD and anxiety. During the task, event-related potentials were recorded to assess attentional processing as reflected in the P1 and N1 components. Results: Participants who did not choose a closer distance towards friends than strangers experienced greater anxiety. Moreover, participants who showed attentional avoidance towards strangers reported more PTSD symptoms. By contrast, participants who showed hypervigilant attention towards strangers reported greater anxiety. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate an association between IDR, PTSD, and anxiety after trauma. Future studies should re-investigate these associations in larger samples and explore potential implications for prevention and treatment.

Attachment-related anxiety and avoidance and regulation of interpersonal distance in close relationships

We tested the relationships between attachment related anxiety and avoidance and interpersonal distance with significant others (mother, father, close friend, love target), as well as, the childhood self. One hundred seventy four university students (85 male and 89 female; average age was 23.90 years, SD = 4.42; 24 [13.8%] were married) participated in the study. They completed Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures questionnaire (ECR-RS), followed by a computerized version of the comfortable interpersonal distance (CID) task in both the passive state (when protagonists approached them) and the active state (when they approached targets). We asked participants to determine the point at which they felt uncomfortable (the discomfort point) and the point at which they wanted to stop the protagonist (the stop point). Analyses revealed that: (1) Global avoidance scores predicted individuals’ distance to parents, whereas global anxiety scores predicted distance to future love’s view and childhood self; (2) As avoidance increased, individuals allowed their parents to intrude more into their personal spaces; (3) Attachment anxiety and avoidance predicted the passive state better than the active state.

Virtual Reality Immersion Rescales Regulation of Interpersonal Distance in Controls but not in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Interpersonal distance (IPD) is a simple social regulation metric which is altered in autism. We performed a stop-distance paradigm to evaluate IPD regulation in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and control groups in a real versus a virtual environment mimicking in detail the real one. We found a bimodal pattern of IPDs only in ASD. Both groups showed high IPD correlations between real and virtual environments, but the significantly larger slope in the control group suggests rescaling, which was absent in ASD. We argue that loss of nuances like non-verbal communication, such as perception of subtle body gestures in the virtual environment, lead to changed regulation of IPD in controls, whilst ASD participants show similar deficits in perceiving such subtle cues in both environments.

Interpersonal Distance Regulation and Approach-Avoidance Reactions Are Altered in Psychopathy

In this study, we examined the impact of psychopathy on approach-avoidance reactions and interpersonal distance (IPD) in response to social cues. We selected a student sample and measured psychopathy via self-report. Participants were immersed in a virtual environment in which a virtual person displayed either angry or happy facial expressions. In the first experiment, participants had to walk toward the virtual person until a comfortable IPD had been reached. In the second experiment, participants had to push or pull a joystick in response to the facial expression of the virtual person. Our results suggest that psychopathy does not change average IPD but does impair its regulation. That is, the facial expression of the avatar no longer modulated IPD in participants with psychopathic traits to the extent that it did in participants with fewer psychopathic traits. The speed of the approach and avoidance reactions is altered in psychopathy when confronted with social cues.

Neural correlates of social and non-social personal space intrusions: Role of defensive and peripersonal space systems in interpersonal distance regulation

ABSTRACTPersonal space regulation ensures the maintenance of a margin of safety between the individual and the surrounding world. However, little is known about the specific neural mechanisms implicated in regulating the distance from conspecifics versus non-social stimuli. Here, we investigated the neural correlates of personal space intrusions by social versus non-social stimuli. Thirty volunteers underwent fMRI scanning while viewing approaching or withdrawing faces (Social) and insects/arachnids (Non-social). Preferred distance to the stimuli was assessed behaviourally in a computerized task, and in real life. Results showed that approaching social and non-social stimuli of varying threat levels elicited activation of frontoparietal regions previously linked to peripersonal space, as well as of the midbrain periaqueductal gray, suggesting the engagement of defensive mechanisms by personal space intrusions. However, functional connectivity patterns of the midbrain differed for social and non-social stimuli, with enhanced coupling with the premotor cortex to approaching social stimuli. Additionally, connectivity strength between the midbrain and the premotor cortex was associated with preferred interpersonal distance. These findings highlight a common defensive architecture implicated in personal space regulation to social and non-social stimuli, and the specific neural mechanisms involved in regulating the distance from conspecifics.

ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ РЕЧЕВЫХ МАСОК В АНГЛИЙСКОЙ ФАТИЧЕСКОЙ КОММУНИКАЦИИ

The article classifies the speech masks used in the English phatic communication for the first time. It is revealed that three types of masks are created most often: professional, socio-cultural, and ethno-cultural. For each type of masks it is determined, which linguistic means are used to create them: phonetic, lexical, or grammatical. Speech masks, which are an element of ludic communication, contribute to the regulation of interpersonal distance between communicants and speech interaction harmonization. They allow the speaker to alleviate communicative pressure on the addressee.

Preschool Children's and Adults' Expectations About Interpersonal Space.

The regulation of interpersonal distance and social space plays a central role in social behavior, and intrusions into personal space often lead to irritations in social interactions. Although there is plenty of research on people’s actual proxemics in social interactions, less is known about how individuals represent and reason about social space, and whether there are age-related differences. The current study examined preschool children’s and adults’ predictions about others’ interpersonal distances in two experiments. The findings show that preschool children have systematic expectations about others’ proxemics. In addition, we found age-related differences as adults assumed people to keep greater interpersonal distance than preschool children.

Psychopathy and the Regulation of Interpersonal Distance

Psychopathic traits are often associated with interpersonal and affective deficits. This study examined the impact of psychopathy on judgments of comfortable egocentric interpersonal distance (Experiment 1) and exocentric interpersonal distance (Experiment 2). We selected a student sample and measured psychopathy via self-report. To study spatial behavior under highly controlled conditions, these participants were immersed in a virtual environment. In Experiment 1, they approached a virtual person with angry or happy facial expression until a comfortable distance for conversation was reached. In Experiment 2, participants adjusted a comfortable distance between two avatars. Our results suggest that psychopathy alters the regulation of interpersonal distance with respect to facial expression of the approached as well as between avatars of mixed sex.

Individual mentalizing ability boosts flexibility toward a linguistic marker of social distance: An ERP investigation

Abstract Sentence-final particles (SFPs) as bound morphemes in Japanese have no obvious effect on the truth conditions of a sentence. However, they encompass a diverse range of usages, from typical to atypical, according to the context and the interpersonal relationships in the specific situation. The most frequent particle, -ne, is typically used after addressee-oriented propositions for information sharing, while another frequent particle, -yo, is typically used after addresser-oriented propositions to elicit a sense of strength. This study sheds light on individual differences among native speakers in flexibly understanding such linguistic markers based on their mentalizing ability (i.e., the ability to infer the mental states of others). Two experiments employing electroencephalography (EEG) consistently showed enhanced early posterior negativities (EPN) for atypical SFP usage compared to typical usage, especially when understanding -ne compared to -yo, in both an SFP appropriateness judgment task and a content comprehension task. Importantly, the amplitude of the EPN for atypical usages of -ne was significantly higher in participants with lower mentalizing ability than in those with a higher mentalizing ability. This effect plausibly reflects low-ability mentalizers' stronger sense of strangeness toward atypical -ne usage. While high-ability mentalizers may aptly perceive others' attitudes via their various usages of -ne, low-ability mentalizers seem to adopt a more stereotypical understanding. These results attest to the greater degree of difficulty low-ability mentalizers have in establishing a smooth regulation of interpersonal distance during social encounters.

Social environments and interpersonal distance regulation in psychosis: A virtual reality study

BackgroundExperimentally studying the influence of social environments on mental health and behavior is challenging, as social context is difficult to standardize in laboratory settings. Virtual Reality (VR) enables studying social interaction in terms of interpersonal distance in a more ecologically valid manner. Regulation of interpersonal distance may be abnormal in patients with psychotic disorders and influenced by environmental stress, symptoms or distress. AimsTo investigate interpersonal distance in people with a psychotic disorder and at ultrahigh risk for psychosis (UHR) compared to siblings and controls in virtual social environments, and explore the relationship between clinical characteristics and interpersonal distance. MethodsNineteen UHR patients, 52 patients with psychotic disorders, 40 siblings of patients with a psychotic disorder and 47 controls were exposed to virtual cafés. In five virtual café visits, participants were exposed to different levels of social stress, in terms of crowdedness, ethnicity and hostility. Measures on interpersonal distance, distress and state paranoia were obtained. Baseline measures included trait paranoia, social anxiety, depressive, positive and negative symptoms. ResultsInterpersonal distance increased when social stressors were present in the environment. No difference in interpersonal distance regulation was found between the groups. Social anxiety and distress were positively associated with interpersonal distance in the total sample. ConclusionThis VR paradigm indicates that interpersonal distance regulation in response to environmental social stressors is unaltered in people with psychosis or UHR. Environmental stress, social anxiety and distress trigger both people with and without psychosis to maintain larger interpersonal distances in social situations.