Peripersonal and interpersonal spaces : influence of social anxiety and aggressiveness

Needs, desires, and emotions have been proven to have an influence on space and distance perception, partly because of their modulator and guiding role toward behaviour and action. Previous studies have shown evidence that fear, threat, and anxiety have an influence on the length of perceived peripersonal and interpersonal spaces. Although authors predicted an influence of social anxiety and aggressiveness on space perception, literature is still narrow on the subject. The present study aimed at investigating the influence of social anxiety, aggressiveness, and the level of threat on the perception of peripersonal and interpersonal spaces. The influence of social anxiety, aggressiveness was assessed through reachability and comfort distance judgment tasks in virtual reality. Factors of both social anxiety and aggressiveness, as well as the level of threat were found to influence space perception. Our results suggest that the extension of both peripersonal and interpersonal spaces rests upon a common base related to anxiety and aggressiveness factors. However, the extension of peripersonal and interpersonal spaces also differs based on distinct emotional factors.