Proxemics, pre- and post-covid

Proxemics is the study of human space and how it affects our behavior. There are many different factors that go into the study of proxemics because not everyone is the same. There are also many factors that determine how much space a person needs. Peoples personal space can be affected by culture, age, personality, population density, and even more. Different cultures also have different views on personal space. For example, Peru and Argentina have lower personal space then compared to the United States. Places like Hungary and Saudi Arabia tend to stand farther away from people. The United States is somewhere in the middle in terms of personal space depending on what state your in. The average personal space bubble for someone in the United States is about arms length away from someone else. There are also different zones for personal space like intimate space, personal space, public space, and social space. Many people have averages that we all believe is enough space between us and another person. - Most peoples intimate space is from 0"-18" - Personal space is mostly from 18"-48" - Public space is from 12'-25' - Social space is 48"-12' When it comes to factors that affect personal space one of the biggest ones is Covid. Covid changed our daily lives and still affects us and will continue to affect people in the future. Many people didnt even want to leave home when covid first began and the change in personal space is obvious since covid. In some places, just like culturally, is it different then others. Some people do not care about giving others personal space, while some people are totally the opposite depending on many factors. The new normal distancing for covid was almost double our original personal space bubble. Although some people did not want to follow the six foot rule others followed and tried to even stay farther away than that to other people. There are also many factors for that: - Many people that didnt follow social distancing didnt care about covid enough to even pay attention. - Poeple that did follow it often had someone sick or with an illness around them that they didnt need to be bringing sickness to them. - Others just didnt want to get themselves sick.

Photo drawn by me There are many more factors than that but the effects of covid are affecting daily life still. For me covid helped with personal space. I personally do not mind being farther away from people because I already have a big personal space bubble, but it definitely does effect design and other people. Some people would get mad for having to be six feet away while others loved it. Peoples behaviors are affected nagatively when they cant choose their own personal space.

Photo from hongkongfp.com Many public places had to change many things when it comes to the design to follow the six foot rule. The rule was from anything to theme parks, stores, restaurants, and even more. While adding personal space to keep others away from each other was a good thing, some of the problems that came with that was a hassle to design or function around. Covid also affected my high school graduation as it did many others.

Photo from me - Restaurants couldnt fit as many people from having to space out customers. - Lines in stores were longer from having to follow the tape on the ground intended to keep people spaces out. - Many businesses had to shut down becuase of the effects of covid. Overall I would say social distancing made peoples personal space bubble bigger, but there are many people out there that just do not acknowledge it and changed nothing. Not every country was affected the same way by covid but in general I would say that personal space increased. Sources - Adams, J. (2020). Pandemic Proxemics: Is six feet enough?. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-the-lines/202004/pandemic-proxemics-is-six-feet-enough - Sussex Publishers. (n.d.). Proxemics. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/proxemics