Interpersonal spacing behavior between surrounding nearest neighbors reflects both familiarity and environmental density

Abstract Patterns of proxemic behavior were studied in casual groups within public environments. Observations were made in the corridors of large shopping malls and on sidewalks in small towns. In walking and sitting groups, social distances between surrounding neighbors and the sizes of casual groups were measured from photographs or maps. A similar group spatial pattern was found during both walking and sitting: individuals aggregated significantly with their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd nearest companions, while avoiding proximity to or maintaining random distances toward 1st, 2nd, or 3rd nearest strangers. Companions in these groups always maintained closer social distances toward each other than toward strangers. Distances between walking companions were inversely correlated with density, but distances to strangers were independent of density. The resulting subgroups were larger in size than some groups previously observed in comparable environments. The results are contrasted with naturally-occurring proxemic behavior observed in the groups of nonhuman primates and other social animals, and are discussed in the context of ecological pressures favoring social spacing responses.