Personal space across cultures: how close is too close?

Level: B1

Printable: Student handout (PDF | Word) | Teacher’s key (PDF | Word)

Before You Read

Think about these questions or discuss them with a partner.

How close do you usually stand to a friend when you talk? How close do you stand to a stranger?
Where do you often have to stand close to strangers? How does it feel?
How might people’s need for personal space differ by country, gender, age, or personality?

Reading

You are alone in a big, empty elevator. Then a stranger gets in and stands right next to you, although there is plenty of room. Nothing bad happens, but you feel awkward, and you probably step away. The invisible area around your body that you want to keep for yourself is called personal space. Most people never think about it until someone tries to invade it.

Many people picture this space as a bubble that moves with you. In the 1960s, the American anthropologist Edward Hall, a scientist who studies human cultures, described it in detail. He observed how close people stood in different situations and divided the space into four zones. In his notes on people in the United States, the closest zone, for hugging and whispering, reached about 18 inches (45 centimeters). The next zone, for talking with friends and family, reached about four feet (120 centimeters). Beyond that came zones for polite talk with strangers and for speaking in public.

These numbers are useful, but they come from one place and one time, and Hall himself said they were not strict rules. Distances vary a lot around the world. In one large international survey, nearly 9,000 people in 42 countries were asked to show how close a stranger could stand before they would feel uncomfortable. People in Argentina chose about 80 centimeters. People in Romania chose about 140. England was in the middle, at about 100. Women and older people tended to choose slightly more space.

Why do the answers differ? Nobody knows for sure. The researchers found that people in warmer countries preferred a little less distance from strangers, and one idea is that warm weather brings more time outside and more contact. That is only a possible explanation. The survey also challenges some stereotypes, which are simple ideas about a whole group of people. Some people believe that everyone in the Middle East stands very close. Yet people in Saudi Arabia chose one of the widest distances for strangers.

Remember that the survey only asked what people prefer. It did not watch what they really do, and the situation matters a great deal. On a crowded train, people everywhere stand much closer than they like, because they have no choice. Many of them look at their phones or away from other people. This does not make them rude. It is one way to create some distance in their minds when there is none in the space around them.

So what can you do when you work or travel with people from other countries? First, do not assume that you know what is normal for them. If someone stands closer than you like, they are probably not trying to be rude. Second, watch the signals. If a person feels too close, they often lean back, turn their body, or step away. If you move toward them again, they may keep stepping back, and the conversation will feel strange for both of you.

Third, if you are not sure, you can ask or simply leave a little more room. If you stand too close, you may offend someone without knowing it. If you stand too far away, you may come across as cold. Try a small test this week. When you wait in a line, notice how far you stand from the person in front of you. Then ask a friend from another country what feels normal for them, and see whether your bubbles are the same size.

Vocabulary

Each word has a frequency score, a rank, and a tag. The score shows how common the word is in modern English: higher means more common, and each full point means roughly ten times more common. The rank is the word’s position on a list of about 321,000 English word forms, from most to least common. The tag shows where you are most likely to meet the word: Current, Formal, Literary, or Dated. The paragraph number shows where the word first appears in the reading. The labels are information, not instructions. Deciding which words are worth your time is up to you. How to read the scores, ranks, and tags.

You feel awkward when a stranger stands too close.
There was an awkward silence after he asked the question.

Most people feel upset when someone tries to invade their personal space.
Reporters should not invade a family’s privacy.

Many people picture personal space as a bubble that moves with them.
The children blew soap bubbles in the garden.

Edward Hall was an American anthropologist.
An anthropologist lived in the village for a year to learn about its customs.

Hall observed how close people stood in different situations.
She observed the birds from the window for an hour.

Hall said his numbers were not strict rules.
The school has a strict rule about phones in class.

Preferred distances vary a lot around the world.
Prices vary from shop to shop.

Women and older people tended to choose slightly more space.
When I was young, I tended to wake up early.

The survey challenges some common stereotypes.
The new report challenges what we thought about sleep.

The survey challenges some stereotypes about the Middle East.
It is a stereotype that all tourists take photos of everything.

On a crowded train, people stand much closer than they like.
The market was so crowded that we could not move.

Do not assume that you know what is normal for them.
I assumed the shop was open, but the door was locked.

If a person feels too close, they often send signals such as leaning back.
A yawn can be a signal that someone is tired.

If you stand too close, you may offend someone without knowing it.
His joke offended some of the guests.

If you stand too far away, you may come across as cold.
He comes across as shy, but he is very funny with friends.

Word Partners

Collocations. Match the two halves to make common phrases. Then use three of the phrases in sentences of your own.

1. an awkward	a. from place to place
2. invade	b. rule
3. a strict	c. as friendly
4. vary	d. someone’s privacy
5. challenge	e. silence
6. a crowded	f. signals
7. send mixed	g. a stereotype
8. come across	h. train

Answers

an awkward silence (e)
invade someone’s privacy (d)
a strict rule (b)
vary from place to place (a)
challenge a stereotype (g)
a crowded train (h)
send mixed signals (f)
come across as friendly (c)

Word families. Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in brackets.

Don’t make an __________ about people from other countries. (assume)
I’m sorry. My comment was not meant to be __________. (offend)
Careful __________ can teach you a lot about another culture. (observe)
There is a lot of __________ in how close people stand. (vary)
Edward Hall worked in __________, the study of human cultures. (anthropologist)
Phones are __________ not allowed during the exam. (strict)

Answers

assumption
offensive
observation
variation / variety
anthropology
strictly

Activity Page

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Speed Challenge

Answer 12 questions against the clock. Every wrong answer adds 5 seconds, and the lowest score wins. Open the speed challenge in a new tab.

Quick Reading and Typing: Personal Space in Brief

A shorter version of the reading that uses the lesson vocabulary. Read it for a quick introduction to the topic, or use it for reading aloud, shadowing (reading along with a model), and typing practice.

Imagine you are alone in an elevator. A stranger gets in and stands right next to you, although there is plenty of room. You feel awkward, and you probably step away. The invisible area around your body is called personal space. Most people only notice it when someone tries to invade it.

Many people picture personal space as a bubble that moves with them. In the 1960s, the American anthropologist Edward Hall observed how close people stood in different situations. He described four zones, from a very close zone for hugging to a far zone for speaking in public. But his notes came from people in the United States, and he said his numbers were not strict rules.

Distances vary a lot around the world. In one large survey, nearly 9,000 people in 42 countries showed how close a stranger could stand before they felt uncomfortable. People in Argentina chose about 80 centimeters, and people in Romania chose about 140. Women and older people tended to choose a little more space. People in warmer countries preferred slightly less distance, but nobody knows for sure why. The survey also challenges some stereotypes. For example, some people believe that everyone in the Middle East stands very close. Yet people in Saudi Arabia chose one of the widest distances for strangers.

The situation matters too. On a crowded train, people stand close because they have no choice. Many of them look at their phones to create some distance in their minds.

So what should you do when you meet people from other countries? First, do not assume that you know what is normal for them. Someone who stands close is probably not trying to be rude. Second, watch for signals. A person who feels too close may lean back, turn away, or step back. Third, if you are not sure, leave a little more room. If you stand too close, you may offend someone. If you stand too far away, you may come across as cold.

How to practice

Read the text silently once and check any words you are unsure of.
Read it aloud slowly, one sentence at a time. On the typing page, the Listen button reads each line with your device’s voice, so you can listen first and then repeat.
Shadow: read aloud again at a natural speed, trying to keep a steady rhythm without stopping.
Record yourself, listen back, and note one sentence to practice again.
Type it on the typing page below and check your speed and accuracy.

Open the typing practice in a new tab

Comprehension Questions

Why does the person in the elevator feel awkward?
What did Edward Hall do?
Why are Hall’s numbers not true for every country?
In the survey, which country chose a smaller distance from strangers, Argentina or Romania? Give the numbers.
What did the survey find about women and older people?
What did the survey find about warmer countries, and how sure are we about the reason?
Why does the writer mention Saudi Arabia?
Why do many people on a crowded train look at their phones?
Do you think the writer’s advice in the last paragraph is useful? Give two reasons.

IELTS-Style Questions

True, False, or Not Given: “Edward Hall collected his distance numbers in 42 different countries.” Explain your answer using the reading.
Yes, No, or Not Given: “The writer believes that a person who stands close to you is probably being rude.” Explain your answer using the reading.
Author’s purpose: Why does the writer begin with a story about an elevator? Is it (a) to describe a situation most readers know, (b) to prove that elevators are too small, or (c) to explain how Hall collected his data?

AI Discussion Prompt

I just read an article about personal space around the world. It covered how Edward Hall described four distance zones, a large survey of nearly 9,000 people in 42 countries that found differences from about 80 centimeters in Argentina to about 140 in Romania, the limits of those results, and advice for people who meet others from different countries. I am an English learner at about B1 level. Please ask me one question at a time, starting with a time when someone stood too close to me. Use simple language, respond to my ideas first, then briefly correct any language errors, and ask follow-up questions that make me explain my reasons.

AI Vocabulary Prompt

I want to practice vocabulary from an article about personal space around the world. Please quiz me on the following words one at a time, using a mix of question types: multiple choice, true/false, and sentence completion. Give me feedback after each answer before moving on, and bring back the words I miss later. Here are the words: awkward, invade, bubble, anthropologist, observed, strict, vary, tended to, challenges, stereotypes, crowded, assume, signals, offend, come across as.

Discussion Questions

Have you ever been in a situation where someone stood too close to you? What did you do?
Do you feel awkward in elevators, lines, or other small spaces? What do you do to feel more comfortable?
How do people in your country behave on a crowded bus or train? Do you think this is the same everywhere?
Have you ever lived or studied in another country? Which daily habits surprised you?
Has anyone ever stood too far away from you? How did it make you feel about that person?
Hall’s notes came only from people in the United States. Why can numbers from one group be a problem for other groups?
Do people in your family or group of friends like different amounts of space? Why might that be?
Is it possible to be too careful about personal space when you meet people from other cultures?
How can a person say politely that someone is standing too close?
The survey asked people what distance they prefer. Why might what people say be different from what they really do?
Do video calls and messages change how we think about personal space? In what ways?
Some people believe that everyone from one region behaves in the same way. Why do such stereotypes continue to exist, and how can we challenge them?
Should schools and companies teach people about different habits of personal space? What are the benefits and the risks?
Is personal space more important to you now than when you were a child? Why or why not?

Language Focus: Zero and First Conditionals

What it is: Both use if plus the present simple. A zero conditional talks about things that are generally true: if + present simple, present simple. A first conditional talks about a real possibility in the future: if + present simple, will, may, or can + base verb.

Why writers use it: Advice often uses conditionals. The zero conditional describes what usually happens, and the first conditional describes what might happen next, so the reader can predict the result of an action.

Examples from the reading:

“If a person feels too close, they often lean back, turn their body, or step away.”
“If you move toward them again, they may keep stepping back…”
“If you stand too close, you may offend someone without knowing it.”
“If someone stands closer than you like, they are probably not trying to be rude.”

Part A. Sentence starters Finish each sentence so that it is true for you.

Zero conditional (what usually happens)

If I feel awkward in a crowded elevator, I usually …
If I don’t get enough sleep, I …
If someone is rude to me, I usually …

First conditional (a real possibility in the future)

If I finish my work early this week, I will …
If it rains this weekend, I …

Model answers

If I feel awkward in a crowded elevator, I usually look at my phone.
If I don’t get enough sleep, I feel tired all day.
If someone is rude to me, I usually stay calm and walk away.
If I finish my work early this week, I will go to the gym.
If it rains this weekend, I will stay home and watch a movie.

Part B. Questions Answer each question in a full sentence. Try to use a zero or first conditional with if. Then ask a partner.

What do you usually do if you can’t sleep at night?
What happens if you forget your phone at home?
What will you do if you have free time this weekend?
What will you say if a stranger stands too close to you on the bus tomorrow?
If a friend from another country visits you next month, where will you take them?

Model answers

If I can’t sleep, I usually read a book.
If I forget my phone, I feel lost all day.
If I have free time, I will visit my grandparents.
If a stranger stands too close, I will step back and say nothing.
If a friend visits next month, I will take them to the market.

Online Resources

Preferred Interpersonal Distances: A Global Comparison (Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology). The research paper behind the survey in paragraphs 3 and 4. The abstract is free to read.
You’re in my space! How preferred interpersonal distance varies across the world (British Psychological Society Research Digest). A short summary of the 42-country survey with distances for several countries and the temperature finding.
Proxemics (Wikipedia). Edward Hall’s four zones in feet and meters (paragraph 2), plus his warning that they are not strict rules.
Proxemics: Hall’s distance zones and cultural differences (A First Look at Communication Theory). A textbook chapter on Hall’s zones. It explains that his own group of study participants was small and American.
Personal Space and Urban Density: Japan’s Paradox of Distance (Institute for Sensory and Visual Design). A column about how people cope with very crowded trains by avoiding eye contact, as in paragraph 5.