Personal space is a term that refers (23) ………. the distance we like to keep between ourselves and other people. When (24) …………. we do not know well gets too close we usually begin to feel uncomfortable. If a business colleague comes closer than 1.2 meters, the most common response is to move (25) ………. Some interesting (26) ……….. have been done in libraries. If strangers come too close, many people get up and leave the building; others use different methods such as turning their back on the intruder. Living in cities has made people develop new skills for dealing with situations where they are very close to strangers. Most people on crowded trains try not to look at strangers; they avoid skin contact, and apologize if hands touch by mistake. People use newspapers (27) …….. a barrier between themselves and other people, and if they do not have one, they stare into the distance, making sure they are not looking into anyone’s eyes.

Personal space is a term that refers (23) ………. the distance we like to keep between ourselves and other people.