The impact of facial emotional expressions and sex on interpersonal distancing as evaluated in a computerized stop-distance task.

This study utilizes a novel computerized stop-distance task to examine social space preferences of young adult female and male participants (18-23 years old) who envisioned being approached by others of both sexes who were displaying different facial emotional expressions. The results showed that those displaying anger were kept furthest away, followed by those displaying fear, then sadness, and then neutral expressions, leaving those displaying happiness closest to the participant. It was observed that female participants maintained greater distance from approachers than male participants, and that female approachers were allowed to come nearer than male approachers. These sex differences were observed for most of the emotional facial expressions.