Room to Move: On Spatial Constraints and Self-Disclosure During Intimate Conversations

Okken, Vanessa and Rompay van, Thomas and Pruyn, Ad (2012) Room to Move: On Spatial Constraints and Self-Disclosure During Intimate Conversations. Environment and behavior . ISSN 0013-9165

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Abstract:	The tendency to disclose information is affected by several factors, including the environment in which a conversation takes place. The study reported investigates the effect of spaciousness impressions on self-disclosure during interviews on intimate lifestyle-related topics comprising substance intake, sexuality, and emotions. To influence perceived spaciousness, desk size (interpersonal space) and room size (architectural space) were manipulated. The results show that room size in particular affects self-disclosing behavior with increases in architectural space positively affecting self-disclosure. However, the effects obtained varied considerably across the different topics, and decreases in interpersonal space hampered self-disclosure on sexuality-related topics. Furthermore, nonverbal measures revealed that readjustments of posture, interpersonal distancing, and refrains from establishing eye contact are used to counteract space intrusions
Item Type:	Article
Copyright:	© Sage
Faculty:	Behavioural Sciences (BS)
Research Group:	Communication Science - Corporate and Marketing Communication (CS-CMC)
Link to this item:	http://purl.utwente.nl/publications/81084
Official URL:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0013916512444780
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