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Personal space: how close is TOO close?

Everybody knows somebody who likes to get a little bit too close when interacting with others.

Whether you like that person or not, you always find yourself taking a tiny step backwards whenever dealing with them, in order to increase – however slightly – the personal space felt between you and them.

Have you ever thought about that specific distance?  When it comes to maintaining your personal space, HOW CLOSE IS TOO CLOSE?

Your Body Belongs to You
Your Body Belongs to You

According to a recent survey conducted by AKULA, an outdoor living company, they’ve determined that a person’s individual PERSONAL SPACE begins at around 18 inches.  Any closer, and you will feel like your personal space is being intruded upon.

Want to include someone in your FRIENDLY SPACE?  That space runs about 47 inches away (a little more than 3 feet).  You’re good with friends being within that arms’ length from you, so for maximum enjoyment of the people around you, only friends should be in that 3 foot-wide FRIEND ZONE, but only those really really close personal friends should be inside your personal 18 inches.

So what’s the easiest way to determine what a good FRIEND ZONE space is?  Use the HANDSHAKE TEST.

If you can comfortably shake hands with the people around you, then they are in your FRIEND ZONE.  If you can’t reach out and shake hands with the people around you, then they are outside your FRIEND ZONE and are not invading your personal space.

So if you’re the kind of person who likes to maintain a certain distance between yourself and strangers, then reach out and try a handshake with them.  As long as they’re far enough away that you can’t shake hands, then you know that your personal space is safe from being invaded by a Close Talker or Body Odor Stinker.

So if it’s not that 47 inch space, what do you find that your personal space distance is?  Tell us in the comments below…