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Do feel slightly uncomfortable in the bathroom? How does the presence of others in the bathroom affect you? What about places other than the bathroom? How close is too close? A psychological study was done in 1976 in which psychology researchers hid in men’s bathrooms to observe…well, you’ll find out. Learn more about personal space in this episode of The Psych Files.
The article discussed in this episode:
Middlemist, R. D., Knowles, E. S. & Matter, C.F. (1976). Personal Space Invasions in the Lavatory: Suggestive Evidence for Arousal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 33 (5), 541-546.
Click here to listen to a follow-up episode in which I discuss how the authors of this study responded to criticisms of their ethical procedures.
Watch this episode from NPR video on personal space in Second Life: “Avatar gender and personal space invasion anxiety level in desktop collaborative virtual environments.”
Helpful Links:
Shy Bladder website
Paruresis website
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
As a sufferer of paruresis myself I found it interesting to know that “normal” persons have some hesitancy and reduction of voiding under situations of reduced personal space.
Not having any specific event or series of events that I can point to that may have lead to my condition I can only assume that it began as subtle self consciousness of the time taken to begin urinating.
I would be interested to know if any of the 60 participants failed to void.