How room and desk size affect people's comfort discussing personal issues

A new study suggests that people feel more comfortable talking about private matters in a larger room at a larger desk. It's a result with obvious practical implications for professionals who require openness from their clients.

Vanessa Okken and her colleagues allocated their 86 participants (average age 22; 38 men) to speak to a female Masters student in one of four situations - at a small desk (80cm interpersonal distance) in a small (16 square meters) or larger room (19.8 square meters); or at a large desk (160cm interpersonal distance) in the same small or larger room.

The participants were videoed answering questions posed by the young lady about substance use, sexuality and emotions. She was unaware of the purpose of the study. The video camera was arranged in such a way that the coders who later assessed the participants' answers were unaware of the setting.

Afterwards the participants said they'd felt more at ease and less inhibited in the larger room and this appeared to be because they felt it was more spacious. Further analysis showed that room size only led to feelings of greater openness when participants were sat at a large desk. It's possible the intimacy of a small desk overpowers the liberating effect of a larger room.

Participants also behaved differently in the various physical situations. In the larger room, they leant forward more and had a more open posture. They leant on the larger desk more than they did on the small desk. In the larger room,...

Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - August 6, 2013 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Christian Jarrett Source Type: blogs