Personal space

Social rules are fascinating. I've often watched people and tried to see which of the actions we do automatically are part of the social rules we grow up learning. It's interesting to watch tourists too. Sometimes you can see where the social rules here are different from those they have at home.

Recently I've noticed a new social rule here in England: "when someone is typing in their PIN when paying at a checkout, others present should look away in a very obvious way".

Apparently, some of these social rules have crossed-over into cyberspace. The Bryant Park Project looked at how the rules against staring and standing too close apply just as much in Second Life as they do in the 3D world.

Perhaps that shows just how much people identify with their avatars.

Credit: GreenReaper