Caltech neuroscientists find brain region responsible for our sense of pers...(n a separate group of healthy subjects w...)

Date:8/30/2009

n a separate group of healthy subjects who were told when an experimenter was either in close proximity or far away from them. When in the fMRI scanner, subjects could not see, feel, or hear the experimenter; nevertheless, their amygdalae lit up when they believed the experimenter to be close by. No activity was detected when subjects thought the experimenter was on the other side of the room.

"It was just the idea of another person being there, or not, that triggered the amygdala," Kennedy says. The study shows, he says, that "the amygdala is involved in regulating social distance, independent of the specific sensory cues that are typically present when someone is standing close, like sounds, sights, and smells."

The researchers believe that interpersonal distance is not something we consciously think about, although, unlike SM, we become acutely aware when our space is violated. Kennedy recounts his own experience with having his personal space violated during a wedding: "I felt really uncomfortable, and almost fell over a chair while backing up to get some space."

Across cultures, accepted interpersonal distances can vary dramatically, with individuals who live in cultures where space is at a premium (say, China or Japan) seemingly tolerant of much closer distances than individuals in, say, the United States. (Meanwhile, our preferred personal distance can vary depending on our situation, making us far more willing to accept less space in a crowded subway car than we would be at the office.)

One explanation for this variation, Kennedy says, is that cultural preferences and experiences affect the brain over time and how it responds in particular situations. "If you're in a culture where standing close to someone is the norm, you'd learn that was acceptable and your personal space would vary accordingly," he says. "Even then, if you violate the accepted cultural distance, it will make people uncomfortable, and the amygdala will
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Contact: Kathy Svitil 626-395-8022 California Institute of Technology Source:Eurekalert

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