Investigating the Influence of an Approaching Virtual Agent ’ s Emotional Expression on a User ’ s Personal Space Preferences

Personal Space (PS) is regulated dynamically by choosing an appropriate interpersonal distance when navigating through social environments. This key element in social interactions is influenced by numerous social and personal characteristics, e.g., the nature of the relationship between the interaction partners and the other’s sex and age (e.g., [9]). Moreover, affective contexts and expressions of interaction partners influence PS preferences, evident, e.g., in larger distances to others in threatening situations [8] or when confronted with angry-looking individuals [12]. PS violations evoke discomfort and physiological arousal [8] and may trigger avoidant or aggressive reactions [10].