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How close is too close
when a person stands or sits next to you

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and you've never even met him
or her before?

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We are not friends.
Please get away from me.

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We all have our limits and Early Show
Special Contributor Taryn Winter Brill

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went on a mission to test the boundaries
of personal space.

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<i>(Taryn) With a liveble surface area
of nearly 12 million square miles,</i>

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<i>but a population
of more than 7 billion people,</i>

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<i>planet Earth gets pretty crowded.</i>

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<i>And over the course of an average day,
we've all had those moments</i>

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<i>where you just need
a little more elbow room.</i>

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<i>So, what are the rules
of personal space in public places?</i>

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<i>Etiquette experts suggest
that human beings should keep</i>

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<i>two feet of space,
or 24 inches between them.</i>

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- Does this feel comfortable to you?
- Yeah. It's good.

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This is what you're used to?

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Yeah, I don't like it
when people are too close to me.

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Too close is when they're like
just a couple of inches--

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- This is too close?
- Too close.

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- Is this too close?
- No.

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- Is <i>this</i> too close?
- That's close enough.

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<i>(Taryn) Now, most of us know
the unwritten rules</i>

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<i>of elevator etiquette.</i>

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<i>Find the least crowded spot,
keep your eyes forward,</i>

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<i>and your mouth shut.</i>

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<i>But what happens
when you break those rules?</i>

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<i>We took over this elevator
security camera to find out.</i>

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<i>Despite plenty of room,
I moved uncomfortably close</i>

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<i>to other riders.</i>

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<i>Most simply stepped away.</i>

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<i>This guy even jumped.</i>

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<i>But several decided to hold their ground.</i>

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<i>I went toe to toe with this woman,
and she wouldn't budge.</i>

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<i>And this woman who stayed pressed
against the back of the elevator</i>

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<i>may have remained calm,
but she felt something very different.</i>

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(woman) I had a moment
when I was kind of wanting to push you

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or shove you or punch you or yell at you.

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(Taryn) I'm glad you didn't, thank you.

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<i>(Taryn) Lucky for me,
the average elevator ride</i>

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<i>lasts just 30 seconds.</i>

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<i>Next stop, the bus,
where you're expected to choose</i>

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<i>an open seat away from other riders.</i>

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<i>We boarded this one
with a hidden camera on a quiet day.</i>

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<i>There were plenty of empty seats,</i>

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<i>but I preferred to try
people's patience instead.</i>

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Can I get in here, please?

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- Where? Here?
- (Taryn) Yeah.

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- Why here?
- (Taryn) I'm sorry?

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Why don't you sit there?

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<i>(Taryn) This woman was kind enough
to point out the very obvious</i>

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<i>available seat right in front of her.</i>

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<i>While this guy made no objection
to my sitting next to him.</i>

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<i>Though he did get off
at the very next stop.</i>

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So, what's your general recommendation
when it comes to personal space?

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Excuse me, Miss?

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<i>(Taryn) Nearly everyone we met
seemed to agree on how to cope</i>

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<i>with someone who gets a little too close.</i>

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Don't get too close
to people you don't know.

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Probably step back.

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Keep your distance.

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<i>(Taryn) But our unscientific
social experiment</i>

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<i>revealed something more.</i>

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<i>When confined to small spaces,
like in the elevator,</i>

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<i>people were more prone
to protect their territory.</i>

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<i>While those we approached
in wide open spaces,</i>

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<i>like at this park, rarely moved at all.</i>

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<i>And this woman even struck up
a conversation.</i>

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- How you doing?
- Hi.

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<i>(Taryn) Because sometimes,
it's worth giving up</i>

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<i>a little personal space
for pleasant company.</i>