The DOI matches its Crossref record; 105 of the 105 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The space between us: A neurophilosophical framework for the investigation of human interpersonal space
Abstract
Despite a plethora of knowledge, both behavioural and neural, of the mechanisms defining space around a singular body little is known about the neural mechanisms that encode space between bodies. Yet, the space between people creates and defines the social dynamics of our interactions with others. This review brings together evidence from social psychology, which considers individuals and their interactions as whole beings, with neuroscientific evidence of the factors involved in spatial coding to propose a framework by which we can investigate and interpret the neural substrates of 'social space'. A key feature of this framework is that space around the body is defined from a functional 'action-centred' perspective; the same underlying processes mediate interactions with both inanimate and animate objects, with links to emotive and motivational systems encoding the saliency of those interactions. The investigation of the neural mechanisms underlying interpersonal space is timely given the increasing density of our populations and can provide a richer interpretation of findings from neuroimaging studies of prosocial behaviour which may further insights into populations with social dysfunction.
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“Perceived threat from others is considered to be one of the most salient factors in mediating the equilibrium between interpersonal distance and social interaction (Lloyd, 2009).”
From OT promotes closer interpersonal distance among highly empathic individuals (2015) · cites this paper as Lloyd, 2009
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From Proxemics Theory to Socially-Aware Navigation: A Survey
Ríos-Martínez, J. A., Spalanzani, A., & Laugier, C. (2014) · International Journal of Social Robotics · doi:10.1007/s12369-014-0251-1 · Cited by 398
“Regarding the management of space done by a group of people interacting, [60] proposes that the interpersonal spa-123 tial behavior is modulated not only by the distance between the interactants but also by the nature of the interaction (for example threatening or unthreatening social interactions).”
BackgroundPeripersonal and interpersonal space in virtual and real environments: Effects of gender and age
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Iachini, T., Coello, Y., Frassinetti, F., & Ruggiero, G. (2014) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111511 · Cited by 236
“The crucial factor modulating the size of personal space, then, could be represented by approach-avoidance actions that reduce or increase this size depending on the social-emotional valence of external stimuli and by motor plans to react to rewarding or threatening objects [7,8,14,20].”
BackgroundInfluentialThe effect of facial expressions on peripersonal and interpersonal spaces
Ruggiero, G., Frassinetti, F., Coello, Y., Rapuano, M., di Cola, A. S., & Iachini, T. (2017) · Psychological Research · doi:10.1007/s00426-016-0806-x · Cited by 171
Don’t stand so close to me: a behavioral and ERP study of preferred interpersonal distance
Perry, A., Rubinsten, O., Peled, L., & Shamay-Tsoory, S. G. (2013) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.07.042 · Cited by 118
“Perceived threat from others in terms of personal space may be one of the most salient factors in mediating the equilibrium between interpersonal distance and social interaction (Lloyd, 2009).”
BackgroundInfluential
Metadata
- Authors
- Lloyd, D. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Manchester (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Lloyd, Donna M.
- ORCID
- Lloyd, Donna M.
- Venue
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-03
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 297-304
- ISSN
- 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2104761373
- Cited by
- 128
- References
- 105
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 1.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Embodied and Extended Cognition
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Keywords
- personal space, social space, spatial coding, prosocial behavior, social dysfunction, salience, neurophilosophy
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Models, Psychological, Neurons, Personal Space, Social Behavior, Spatial Behavior
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