The Definitive Book of Body Language

The Definitive Book of Body Language

relative to the population density where they live. People raised

in sparsely populated rural areas for example, need more Per-

sonal Space than those raised in densely populated cities.

Watching how far a person extends his arm to shake hands

gives a clue to whether he is from a large city or a country area.

City dwellers typically have their private 18-inch (46cm)

'bubble'; this is also the measured distance between wrist and

torso when they reach to shake hands.

Two men from the

city greet each other;

their hands reaching

to 18 inches (46cm)

This allows the hands to meet on neutral territory. People

raised in a country town with a small population may have a

space 'bubble' of up to 36 inches (1m) or more and this is the

average measured distance from the wrist to the body when

the country person shakes hands.

Two people from a

country town reaching

out to 36 inches (lm)

Rural people tend to stand with their feet firmly planted on the
ground and lean forward to meet your handshake, whereas a
city dweller will step forward to greet you. People raised in
remote areas can have an even larger Personal Space need,