Gutenberg Open Science: Physical distancing and the perception of interpersonal distance in the COVID-19 crisis

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-6879

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DC Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Welsch, Robin	-
dc.contributor.author	Wessels, Marlene	-
dc.contributor.author	Bernhard, Christoph	-
dc.contributor.author	Thönes, Sven	-
dc.contributor.author	Castell, Christoph von	-
dc.date.accessioned	2022-04-11T09:41:38Z	-
dc.date.available	2022-04-11T09:41:38Z	-
dc.date.issued	2021	-
dc.identifier.uri	https://openscience.ub.uni-mainz.de/handle/20.500.12030/6890	-
dc.description.abstract	In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been mandated to keep enlarged distances from others. We interviewed 136 German subjects over five weeks from the end of March to the end of April 2020 during the first wave of infections about their preferred interpersonal distance (IPD) before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the pandemic, subjects adapted to distance requirements and preferred a larger IPD. This enlarged IPD was judged to partially persist after the pandemic crisis. People anticipated keeping more IPD to others even if there was no longer any risk of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. We also sampled two follow-up measurements, one in August, after the first wave of infections had been flattened, and one in October 2020, at the beginning of the second wave. Here, we observed that IPD varied with the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 within Germany. Overall, our data indicated that adaptation to distance requirements might happen asymmetrically. Preferred IPD rapidly adapted in response to distance requirements, but an enlargement of IPD may partially linger after the COVID-19 pandemic-crisis. We discuss our findings in light of proxemic theory and as an indicator for socio-cultural adaptation beyond the course of the pandemic.	en_GB
dc.language.iso	eng	de
dc.rights	CC BY	*
dc.rights.uri	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/	*
dc.subject.ddc	150 Psychologie	de_DE
dc.subject.ddc	150 Psychology	en_GB
dc.title	Physical distancing and the perception of interpersonal distance in the COVID-19 crisis	en_GB
dc.type	Zeitschriftenaufsatz	de
dc.identifier.doi	http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-6879	-
jgu.type.dinitype	article	en_GB
jgu.type.version	Published version	de
jgu.type.resource	Text	de
jgu.organisation.department	FB 02 Sozialwiss., Medien u. Sport	de
jgu.organisation.number	7910	-
jgu.organisation.name	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz	-
jgu.rights.accessrights	openAccess	-
jgu.journal.title	Scientific reports	de
jgu.journal.volume	11	de
jgu.pages.alternative	11485	de
jgu.publisher.year	2021	-
jgu.publisher.name	Nature Publishing Group	de
jgu.publisher.place	London	de
jgu.publisher.issn	2045-2322	de
jgu.organisation.place	Mainz	-
jgu.subject.ddccode	150	de
jgu.publisher.doi	10.1038/s41598-021-90714-5	de
jgu.organisation.ror	https://ror.org/023b0x485	-
Appears in collections:	JGU-Publikationen

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