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It’s something we don’t probably talk about much but are subconsciously aware of every minute of every waking hour – the invisible bubbles of personal space around each and everyone we meet. It’s the reason why people spread out like gas bubbles when choosing their seating arrangement in cinemas. It’s the reason why our hearts start to pound and our breathing becomes erratic when someone we don’t know stands too close in an otherwise empty room. Or why we give a wide berth to someone muttering to himself on the street.
Think of it as moving territorial boundaries around each and every person (only we don’t go around peeing to mark it ) - Although I’ve heard of a story about a nutjob who once held a busload of people hostage by wielding his wiener as a gun and threatening to spray pee if his demands weren’t met. He he he – I can almost imagine the space bubbles of the passengers shrinking down to the size of a peanut as they try their best to get out of the line of fire.
Space bubbles though do not have fixed boundaries. They vary from situation to situation or from place to place. Moreover, according to researchers (yes, believe it or not, some people spend their whole lives studying this subject) we don’t have just one but 4 concentric space bubbles –
1. The public bubble for public interactions or the Run Distance for those “Oh Shit Have to Get Away ASAP in case something happens” moments that sometimes occur in public spaces
2. The social bubble for interacting with acquaintances or sometimes enemies – in which case this becomes the attack distance ( distance guys and gals use launch those cool macho sounding lines or mean bitchy comments that always precedes a interesting fight)
3. The personal bubble or the distance we use to interact with friends
4. And lastly, the intimate distance for those “you know what” moments.
Anyways... I’ve put a lot of thought in this subject since the last time I blogged about it in passing some time ago and I’ve come up with 12 Space bubble laws that are not only interesting in themselves but that you can also use to consciously increase the size of your space bubble for those moments when you need it or to recognize other people using space bubble tactics so that you can avoid space bubble wars.
1. Space Bubbles Can Be Transferred To or Enhanced By Objects
We’ve come across this space bubble tactic at one time or another. A book, a piece of paper and some pens left on top of a library table, an umbrella or jacket left hanging on a fastfood resto seat, or pin-ups, pictures and cute stickers marking a computer in a supposedly free for all call center floor. All these things signify a marked boundary by another person and by themselves; these things create a space bubble of their own.
Things or objects can also be used to temporarily enhance your space bubble. Take for example using a frat shirt to stifle opposition when doing a sleazy insertion maneuver in a line where you don’t know anybody or a Regional Trial Court or National Army ID flashed along with the driver’s license when pulled over by a cop for traffic violations.
2. Space Bubbles Are Proportional To Available Space
As mentioned before, space bubbles are proportional to available space. This is why we spread further apart when someone gets off an elevator, why groups choose to sit as far apart from each other on restos or cinemas, why we like positioning ourselves on two seater bus seats more than 3 seater bus seats and why people only squeeze together when forced to on jeepneys.
We unconsciously protect our space bubbles too when we find ourselves in tight spaces or places that we know have a high probability of being filled within a few minutes. This is why we’d rather sit close to a wall or preferably in a corner table rather than sit near the center of the room where we are exposed on all sides.
3. Space Bubbles Increase Proportionally to Authority, Popularity or Notoriety
Ever noticed how people avoid walking too close to policemen or security guards on the street or in the malls? How about the fact that people always seem to give a wide berth to celebrities, politicians, people with weapons ( even metro aid sweepers carrying around those long brooms) and neighborhood bad boys? I remember my friend getting whacked in the head by a crazy old street sweeper all because he got in her way. Try carrying a samurai the next time you shop and you will notice people giving you a wide berth too. He he, they will either think that you are someone of authority ( carrying a samurai instead of a firearm? ) or that you are not right in the head – reasons enough not to encroach on your space bubble.
4. Space Bubbles Increase Proportionally to Level of Intoxication
As our level of intoxication increases, so does our space bubbles which we guard even more zealously than usual – well at least until we pass out and couldn’t care less if we got trampled. Girls (those who seek attention when drunk) usually do this by being a lot more annoying than they usually are – adopting the high pitched voices of the girls in wowowee while laughing like crazed donkeys. Guys usually look for someone with similar levels of intoxication and engage in scowling/glowering contests until one of them starts a fight. Ever hear a drunk shout “SINO ANG SIGA DITO???!!” while staggering along the streets? Their intoxication levels are so high that their space bubble becomes larger than a city block.
5. Personal Space Bubbles are inversely proportional to Level of Intimacy
The more comfortable we are with another person, the less our space bubbles become. That’s why we don’t mind having our friend’s arms around our shoulders, or pee side by side facing a wall, or in some weirdly designed toilets where you have toilet bowls and no dividing walls, converse while taking a crap at the same time. This is also why you see some couples picking each others nose in public, or swapping saliva or using only one seat instead of two when watching movies in a cinema.
6. Collective Space Bubbles Increase Proportionally to Level of Intimacy
Conversely, the collective space bubble of two very intimate people is a lot larger than the sum of their individual bubbles. This is why we avoid seating near couples in dark cinemas most especially those making suspicious slurping sounds. This is why we don’t sit beside kissing couples in park benches and why we avoid looking at couples fumbling around in dark street corners. Interested as hell we might be, but our respect for the space bubbles created by these incidents almost always overpower our curiosity. There was one time though when I was walking home and I passed by Sunken Garden, a police motorcycle with all its lights flashing went off the road and down into the dark portion of the sunken garden. I tell you, quite a number of space bubbles burst right there and then. Even saw what suspiciously looked like butt cheeks trying its best to blend with the background before the motorcycle’s headlights passed it.
7. Collective Space Bubbles Increase Proportionally to Numbers
Have you ever noticed how people seem to grow exponentially uneasy whenever a large group is nearby? Let’s say you enter a cafeteria that’s otherwise empty except for a large boisterous group heckling each other on one corner. Chances are, you’re going to seat on the opposite end. How about if you’re reading a good book while sitting on a park bench and a large group suddenly chooses your particular bench as their spot? Chances are, you’re going to pack up your things and move to another spot (We have actually tried this several times already and it always works). What about if only two people sits beside you on the bench? Would you move away?
There’s just something about big groups especially the noisy ones. Their collective space bubble is almost a tangible thing that pushes us away. Take for instance one time when I was about to enter the men’s restroom and found it full of gays – I had to find another restroom instead.
8. Space Bubbles Increase Proportionally to the Level of Fear or Disgust Evoked
This is why we give a wide berth to stinky people, shady characters, people who are convulsing with foam coming out of their mouth, people peeing in public, people using soap in a public pool, people walking around in their birthday suits, people talking to themselves, people with rocks in their hands, people without eyebrows, people puking in public, people farting beyond the acceptable decibel level in public, people who are sprawled on the street and look suspiciously dead, people who have dynamites strapped to their chests.. I’m sure you get the point by now.
9. Collective Space Bubbles Decrease with Fear
This is where it gets interesting because just as the one who’s doing the scaring or stinking to high heaven gets to have their space bubbles increase in size, the space bubbles of the collective around them shrinks as a response. This is why people prefer to clump themselves together under a small table during earthquakes, stay close together and even gossip with each other while waiting for someone to jump off a building or in our case a communications tower or billboard, or perhaps pretend that they are a school of fish moving together as one mass of arms and legs when walking through the haunted house feature in Star City. In high fear or high risk cases, the advantage in numbers far outweighs the need to have our personal space bubbles intact.
10. Space Bubbles Increase Proportionally to Level of Comfort
The next time you’re in the road, take notice of the space bubbles around people as they drive around in their cars. See that guy honking his horn furiously just because the car in front of him isn’t moving fast enough? See that scooter nobody takes into account when changing lanes? See that big bus stopping in the middle of the road to discharge its passengers? The space bubble of people adjusts to the size and sometimes the model of their vehicles. The bigger and the more expensive the vehicle is, the bigger the space bubble of the person driving it. That’s why you sometimes see a geeky looking guy shouting curses and giving the old lady a finger while she’s crossing the street. That’s why you sometimes hear about gunfights between otherwise sane respectable people all because of a dented fender.
Conversely, the space bubbles of people who don’t have their own personal transpo decrease proportionally to their level of discomfort. That’s why the lady who’s sitting on a bus that’s bursting at its seams with people doesn’t mind it much whenever a suspicious warm bulge presses against her neck whenever the bus brakes or why the people that are unfortunate enough to stand in the aisle of the bus assumes a catatonic look as they try to ignore the smell of humanity around them. That’s why we always swallow our pride and bite back our retorts whenever a jeepney driver insists that the seat in his jeepney can carry 8 people when in fact everyone knows it can only accommodate 7.
11. Big Space Bubbles Repel
What happens when two individuals or groups with big big space bubbles find themselves in the same room? Yup! Chances are you’re going to see a fight. This is why two fraternities can’t stand to be in the same room, or even have hangouts near each other. This is the reason why 90% of frat wars in UP starts in AS walk or Vinzon’s Hill – where a large number of frats have their tambayans. The same goes for basketball teams, cheerleading squads and even the chess team of opposing schools. Researchers say that most felons convicted of violent crimes are those that have extra large space bubbles and their victims are nothing more than people who encroached on their personal space unknowingly. Now that’s a scary thought…
12. Space Bubbles are Larger for Men than Women
Finally, Space bubbles are larger for men than for women. You might have seen a movie where men shower together buck naked in a public shower – but I bet you don’t see men scrubbing each others backs or soaping each other – I’ve seen girls do this on videos though, he he. It’s quite normal for girls to hug and kiss each other on the cheeks when they see each other on the street. Guys however, are contented to pat each other on the back, do the high five, or shake each others hands – any more will cause the faggot alarm to flash.
So that’s it for the 12 laws of Space Bubbles.. Feel free to add more.:)
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