Comfort Distance for Online and In-Person Interactions: A Virtual Reality Study

ORCID

Abstract

Previous research has shown that people have a preferred distance duringtheir in-person interactions. However, it is less clear what the appropriate distanceis for online interactions. The present study aimed to extend previous research byexploring whether comfort distance is different between dyadic interactions whentaking place in a virtual online context compared with a virtual in-person context. Thestudy involved 44 undergraduate students who participated in a virtual reality(VR) experiment, consisting of two conditions (an online and an in-person dyadic interaction). The participants were asked to adjust the distance between themselves and a virtual confederate displayed on a television screen (virtual online condition) and a virtual confederate displayed in-person (virtual in-person condition). The results showed that individuals select a larger distance from avatars for online interactions than for inperson interactions, prefer more distance between themselves and the screen than the distance between avatars and the screen, and opt for greater distance from male than from female confederates. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the dynamics of online social interactions and highlight the importance of context and perspective when studying proxemics.

Publication Date

2025-09-09

Publication Title

Japanese Psychological Research

ISSN

0021-5368

Acceptance Date

2025-06-23

Deposit Date

2025-09-12

Embargo Period

2026-09-09

Keywords

comfort distance, online vs. in-person interactions, proxemics, virtual reality

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This item is under embargo until 09 September 2026

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