Anxious people need more personal space

It is believed that the personal space for a person is 20-40 centimeters from the face. The results of a new study show that this distance can differ from person to person. For example, with obvious manifestations of anxiety, the space increases.

British scientists from University College London have studied this issue. Experts recorded a protective reflex, expressed in blinking, in a group of volunteers of 15 people aged 20-37 years. The subjects also passed tests for anxiety.

It turned out that the stronger the anxiety, the sharper the reaction to a stimulus located 20 centimeters from the face. The stimulus was an action on a specific nerve in the hand. Because of him, the volunteers blinked. The man kept his own hand at a distance of 4, 20, 40 or 60 centimeters from his face. The power of reflexive blinking spoke of how annoying the stimulus was.

event_note May 6, 2021

account_box Winona Tse MD

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