COVID-19 and social distancing: a cross-cultural study of interpersonal distance preferences and touch behaviors before and during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the introduction of unprecedented safety measures, one of them being physical distancing recommendations. Here, we assessed whether the pandemic has led to long-term effects on two important physical distancing aspects, namely interpersonal distance preferences and interpersonal touch behaviors. We analyzed nearly 14,000 individual cases from two large, cross-cultural surveys – the first conducted 2 years prior to the pandemic and the second during a relatively stable period of a decreased infection rate in May-June 2021. Preferred interpersonal distances increased by 54% globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase was observable across all types of relationships, all countries, and was more pronounced in individuals with higher self-reported vulnerability to diseases. Unexpectedly, participants reported a higher incidence of interpersonal touch behaviors during than before the pandemic. We discuss our results in the context of prosocial and self-protection motivations that potentially promote different social behaviors.

Keywords

Nonverbal communication Interpersonal distance preferences Interpersonal touch behaviors COVID-19 pandemic Cross-cultural psychology

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10451/65131

Citation

Croy, I., Heller, C., Akello, G., Lopes, R. C. et al. (2024). COVID-19 and social distancing: a cross-cultural study of interpersonal distance preferences and touch behaviors before and during the pandemic. Cross-cultural research, Vol. 58(1), pp. 41-69.