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The term proxemics was introduced by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1966 to describe set measurable distances between people as they interact.^[1] The effects of proxemics, according to Hall, can be summarized by the following loose rule:

Hall's human distance-spacing theories were largely based on the early animal-spacing studies of German zoologist Heini Hediger, as found in his 1955 book Studies of the Psychology and Behavior of Captive Animals in Zoos and Circuses. Hediger, in animals, had distinguished between flight distance (run boundary), critical distance (attack boundary), personal distance (distance separating members of non-contact species, as a pair of swans), and social distance (intraspecies communication distance). Hall reasoned that, with very few exceptions, flight distance and critical distance have been eliminated in human reactions, and thus interviewed hundreds of people to determine modified criteria for human interactions.

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Body spacing and posture, according to Hall, are unintentional reactions to sensory fluctuations or shifts, such as subtle changes in the sound and pitch of a person's voice. Social distance between people is reliably correlated with physical distance, as are intimate and personal distance, according to the following delineations:

• Intimate distance for embracing, touching or whispering

Close phase - less than 6 inches

Far phase - 6 to 18 inches

• Personal distance for interactions among good friends

Close phase - 1.5 to 2.5 feet

Far phase - 2.5 to 4 feet

• Social distance for interactions among acquaintances

Close phase - 5 to 7 feet

Far phase - 7 to 12 feet

• Public distance used for public speaking

Close phase - 12 to 25 feet

Far phase - 25 feet or more

Hall notes that different cultures maintain different standards of personal space. In Latin cultures, for instance, those relative distances are smaller, and people tend to be more comfortable standing close to each other; in Nordic cultures the opposite is true. Realizing and recognizing these cultural differences improves cross-cultural understanding, and helps eliminate discomfort people may feel if the interpersonal distance is too large ("stand-offish") or too small (intrusive). Comfortable personal distances also depend on the culture, social situation, gender, and individual preference.

A related term is propinquity. Propinquity is one of the factors, set out by Jeremy Bentham, used to measure the amount of pleasure in a method known as felicific calculus.

Body language Environmental psychology Intercultural competence Kinesics

Skinship Spatial empathy T-V distinction Don't Stand So Close to Me - song

1. ^ Hall, Edward T. (1966). The Hidden Dimension. Anchor Books. ISBN 0-385-08476-5. 

• Proxemics Research
• High School Cafeteria Seating Distributions – Institute of Human Thermodynamics