My social comfort zone: Attachment anxiety shapes peripersonal and interpersonal space

Following positive social exchanges, the neural representation of interactive space around the body (peripersonal space; PPS) expands, whereas we also feel consciously more comfortable being closer to others (interpersonal distance; ID). However, it is unclear how relational traits, such as attachment styles, interact with the social malleability of our PPS and ID. A first, exploratory study (N=48) using a visuo-tactile, augmented reality task, found that PPS depended on the combined effects of social context and attachment anxiety. A follow-up preregistered study (N = 68), showed that those with high attachment anxiety demonstrated a sharper differentiation between peripersonal and extrapersonal space, even in a non-social context. A final, preregistered large-scale survey (N = 19,417) found that people scoring high in attachment anxiety prefer closer ID and differentiate their ID less based on feelings of social closeness. We conclude that attachment anxiety reduces the social malleability of both peripersonal and interpersonal space. [Display omitted] •No evidence that affective touch modulates peripersonal space•Attachment anxiety sharpens peripersonal space, irrespective of social context•Attachment anxiety increases comfort with social proximity, irrespective of intimacy•Attachment anxiety reduces the social malleability of peri- and interpersonal space Social medicine; Behavioral neuroscience