title: Don't stand so close to me: the effects fo self-construal in interpersonal closeness.
abstract: Three studies investigated the effects of self-construal activation on behavior conducive to interpersonal proximity. Study 1 revealed that compared with control participants, participants who were primed with the independent (or personal) self sat further away from where they anticipated another person would sit in a waiting room. Results of Study 2 indicated that participants primed with the interdependent (or social) self sat closer to the anticipated other person than did those primed with the independent self. Finally, Study 3 used the chronic self-construal of participants to predict the seating distance in dyadic settings. Results showed that greater independence of participants' self-construals was associated with greater spatial distance during the interaction. Together, the studies provide clear evidence that self-construal activation automatically influences interpersonal behavior as reflected in the actual distance between the self and others. Results are discussed in terms of the functions and motives connected to self-construals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Psychology, University of Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. r.holland@psych.kun.nl
authors.forename: Rob W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: Ute-Regina
authors.initials: UR
authors.lastname: Roeder
authors.forename: Rick B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: van Baaren
authors.forename: Aafje C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hannover
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D004215:Distance Perception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D013037:Spatial Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires