Academic Journal
Unpacking the social nature of interpersonal distance: Behavioral and physiological insights from real-time interactions.
| Τίτλος: | Unpacking the social nature of interpersonal distance: Behavioral and physiological insights from real-time interactions. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Mirlisenna I; Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy; Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Rovereto, TN, Italy., Bonino G; Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy., Romano Cappi G; Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy., Valvo A; Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy; Department of Social Neuroscience and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland., Cariola M; Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy; NIN (Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience), Amsterdam, Netherlands., Dal Monte O; Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy; Neuroscience Institute of Turin - NIT, 10124, Turin, Italy; Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. Electronic address: olga.dalmonte@unito.it. |
| Πηγή: | International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology [Int J Psychophysiol] 2026 Aug; Vol. 226, pp. 113403. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 03. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 8406214 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1872-7697 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01678760 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Psychophysiol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Amsterdam ; New York : Elsevier, [c1983- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Interpersonal Relations* , Social Interaction*, Galvanic Skin Response/physiology ; Psychological Distance ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Adult |
| Περίληψη: | Interpersonal distance (IPD) refers to the space individuals maintain between themselves and others to facilitate comfortable interactions. In a series of three experiments, we collected both behavioral (IPD preferences) and physiological (electrodermal activity) measures from 86 participants performing different versions of the Stop Distance Paradigm. Our aims were to (a) investigate IPD correlates when individuals actively regulate their interpersonal boundaries according to personal comfort, (b) target the physiological components of space invasion, (c) isolate the social components of IPD from other non-social factors and (d) examine the role of higher-level social mechanisms and interpersonal cues provided by the interacting person. We found that when individuals actively regulate their interpersonal boundaries, active and passive approaches modulate IPD differently at both behavioral and physiological levels. When individuals lack control over the interaction, violations of personal space elicit strong autonomic responses, reflecting an affective reaction to boundary intrusion. Notably, these responses were specific to human interactions, underscoring IPD as a social construct rather than a mere function of spatial proximity. Finally, we propose that IPD is modulated by perspective-taking strategies (self- vs. other-focus) and social cues such as gaze direction and other's attitude. Together, these findings offer a more comprehensive view of IPD as a dynamic, bidirectional process characterized by integrated behavioral and physiological signatures. (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Dyadic social interaction; Interpersonal distance; Personal space invasion; Perspective taking; Psychophysiological responses; Social behavior |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260505 Date Completed: 20260616 Latest Revision: 20260616 |
| Update Code: | 20260617 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113403 |
| PMID: | 42086173 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1872-7697 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113403 |