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Your Bubble Space and Your Brain

By David Bois | Monday, August 31, 2009 11:59 AM ET

Comments (15)

We all have it: bubble space. It's that distance we like to maintain between ourselves and those with whom we interact. When that invisible boundary is breached, we feel less at ease.

Cal Tech neuroscientists, through working with a patient with a very rare condition, have determined that the amygdala is front and center in determining the social distance at which we feel comfortable.

The amygdalae are a pair of almond-shaped and -sized structures on opposing sides within the temporal lobe. These structures are known to play a role in a variety of emotional and instinctual responses, including the "fight or flight" response.

As reported at Physorg.com, the new research represents the first solid evidence linking the amygdala to social interaction.

The patient, a 42-year-old woman, is afflicted with damage to both halves of her amygdala. What the Cal Tech neuroscientists discovered was that the patient's default comfort zone was about half the distance at which most people feel comfortable. Even more surprising to the research team was that they were unable to determine any distance at which the patient became uncomfortable.

Daniel P. Kennedy, postdoctoral scholar involved in the research, outlines the potential value of these findings to support new research initiatives in autism:

"We are really interested in looking at personal space in people with autism, especially given findings of amygdala dysfunction in autism. We know that some people with autism do have problems with personal space and have to be taught what it is and why it's important. It's clear that amygdala dysfunction cannot account for all the social impairments in autism, but likely contributes to some of them and is definitely something that needs to be studied further."

Photo courtesy of National Institutes of Health, via Wikimedia Commons

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Dave Bois is a native of Maine and has lived in the San Francisco bay area since 2000. He graduated from Tufts University with degrees in geology and sociology and pursued graduate studies in physical geography at the University of Maryland.

Comments (15)

Comments (3)

Sophie in the Moonlight

82 days ago

Way cool info.

Wondering: do those of us with a need for about double the amount of bubble space then have bigger amygdalae than the general population? Are my amygdalae bigger than yours? Duel not necessary. My need for personal space precludes sword-fighting; I'm more of a bow and arrow girl. =)

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David Bois

82 days ago

Hi Sophie--many thanks. I've actually surprised myself at how often I've found myself actively gravitating towards brain / cognitive science news over the past few months. I too thought that this one was particularly interesting, and the fact that my therapist spouse (who works with children that present a range of brain / psychological issues) said "wow, cool" after reading it sealed the deal for me that this was indeed a good one to write up.

And I'm just speculating here, but a larger than average comfortable interaction radius could, I suppose, stem from a higher activity level in the amygdala / lymbic system.

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lizlowe

80 days ago

Sophie,

I'd like to weigh in on this one. The social bubble that we feel comfortable in is related, in part, to our position on the extroversion/introversion continuum. That is, how much dopamine neurotransmitter levels we are hardwired for. (Dopamine is responsible for the amount of electrical voltage the brain has to work with.) Higher voltage equals extrovert; lower voltage equals introvert.
It's possible that all the energy required to instantly assess the person facing us: scanning facial affect, registering voice tone and amplitude, picking up on body language, as a few examples, may require more brain voltage than the introvert has available and space/distance quiets the amydala's concerns about impending attack before acquiring all the necessary information.
As one who spends many daylight hours pondering neuroscience's applications to everyday life, this is my speculation on some of the pieces of the puzzle.

Elizabeth Lowe
elizllo@yahoo.com

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