Beauty is Power: The Use of Space on the Sidewalk

In three experiments, 470 pedestrians were observed as they walked past confederates standing on the edge of a sidewalk. Observations were made from a window overlooking the area, using time lapse filming with a movie camera. Pedestrians were observed as they moved along the sidewalk, and their distance from the edge of the sidewalk was measured at several points. Pedestrians deviated in their paths to stay farther from a male than a female, farther from two people than from one person, and farther from a beautiful than an unattractive woman. Sex, number, and attractiveness may be regarded as aspects of power, which serve to dominate various amounts of space. One of the most common encounters in modern life is that of two strangers passing on the street. Social interaction is minimal, with the participants hardly acknowledging one another's presence. But complex rules govern behavior in this apparently simple situation, as Goffman (1971) has described so vividly. If one considers only the distance that passing strangers keep between themselves, a large body of relevant literature comes to mind. Research on personal distance shows that some people dominate more space than others. Lett et al. (1969) and Evans and Howard (1973) summarize some of the factors determining personal space. It appears that males occupy more space than females, and people of higher status more than people of lower status. Physical appearance could conceivably affect space also, since physical appearance is important in determining how one person evaluates another (Berscheid