Post 385: Personal Space and Touching In Other Cultures

Personal Space and Touching In Other Cultures

Personal Space is another aspect of non-verbal communication. In North America, we give people plenty of personal space. If we stand too close to someone, then that person feels uncomfortable and feels that you are 'invading their space'. To make the other person feel more comfortable, you know just how far or how close to stand to that person.

However, in other cultures, people are used to standing very close to each other. How much space we give people and how much we touch other people differs from culture to culture. For instance, in the US, it is okay to give anyone a firm handshake and to hug people we know with different intensity.

In Latin countries and in South America, people are used to having very little personal space with each other. Latin males feel comfortable standing very close to each other while conversing unlike North American males.

In Asian, you greet people by bowing to them. You avoid hugs and avoid touching other people out of respect for their privacy with people you do not know.

Growing up, my parents did not hug me as much as my friend's American parents did.  In Asian culture, hugs are not common in Asian families.  My parents learned to hug us when they saw other American parents hug their children.

In Asia and many parts of the world, people do not kiss in public. Kissing is something you do in the privacy of your own home.

However, as we all know, in the US, young couples in love kiss openly in parks, or in parked cars or on street corners oblivious to passerby and other people.

In Europe, men greet each other by kissing each other on the cheek. And women kiss each other when they greet each other.  In America, rich celebrities will 'air kiss' each other to say hello.

I remember when I was in France, our cultural advisor told the American males in our group 'not to be offended' or 'to feel uncomfortable' if a European male comes up to kiss you on the cheek. American male students were told that when a European male kisses you on the check, it is a form of greeting like a handshake.  I remember the shocked look on the American males' faces!

Then the male cultural advisor practiced kiss greeting the American male students and taught them to relax and how to kiss back in greeting.

Being aware of non-verbal communication in other cultures helps you adapt faster to living in another country or to understanding how your international students behave in the classroom.  As an ESL teacher, I always strove to learn about the cultural habits of my students so as to better adapt my lessons to their needs.