By Rachel Martin

Rachel Martin （Host）： We just heard about one mans longing for a little Germanic order amid the crowded and chaotic streets of Istanbul because， lets be honest， the Germans are really good at order. I spent a year there reporting for NPR， and I can tell you from personal experience it is also a place where people are very conscious about personal space. On the subway， on the sidewalk， Germans are aware of how much space separates them from the nearest person. And while， of course， there are always exceptions， Id say on the whole they prefer more space rather than less. Its something we all think about. Sometimes its subconscious. How much physical space do we need around us？ One place where this tension is readily apparent： the elevator.（Soundbite of Ding）

Elevator voice： Going up.

Martin： Is there any less desirable public space than an elevator？ I mean， you get in， no one talks to you， everyone 1）averts their eyes， you 2）shuffle your feet， you try to create as much space between you and the other person as possible. People are forced to 3）intrude on each others personal space in an elevator. Or what about an ATM？ I mean， how close should stand to the person withdrawing cash without creeping them out？ Jerry Seinfeld once devoted an entire episode of his old TV show to personal space， and along the way he gave us a new term， the close-talker.

（Soundbite of TV show， “Seinfeld”）

Jerry Seinfeld： （as Jerry） Yeah？

Julia Louis-Dreyfus： （as Elaine） Its us.

Seinfeld： （as Jerry） Come on up. Its Elaine. You dont have a problem with her， do you？

Unidentified woman： We adore Elaine.

Seinfeld： She wants to say hi. Shes with her new boyfriend.

Unidentified woman： Whats he like？

Seinfeld： Hes nice. Bit of a close talker.

Unidentified woman： A what？

Seinfeld： Youll see.

Martin： Kathryn Sorrells studies personal space and peoples perception of it across cultures. Shes a professor at California State University-Northridge. And she says how close you stand depends on where youre from.

Kathryn Sorrells： Cultural space tells us a lot. It tells us about the nature of the relationship， and people are constantly reading those things even if they are not aware of it. So， I think one thing that defines it is youre in it and you have a feel for it and you can make sense of it. When youre outside of it， youre not able to define it. Youre not able to understand it and you often misinterpret it. And it has to do with kind of deep things like trust.

Martin： We thought wed get the view on personal space from two very different parts of the world. We start with NPRs Lourdes Garcia-Navarro in Sao Paolo， Brazil.

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro： So， Im in Sao Paulos Metro system. This is a city of 20 million people. Its one of the largest cities in the world. Some people take three hours every day just to get to work， going from one side of the city to another. But one thing you will notice when you ride the public transport systems here is that it does feel very， very different than it does in the United States—very Brazilian.

Paula Moura： Ive been to other countries and nobody touches each other. It seems there is space for everybody. Personal space is bigger in other countries. Here its not.

Garcia-Navarro： Paula Moura works with NPR in Brazil. She says Brazil is just a lot more touchy-feely.

Moura： If I want to go to another 4）wagon， I say， “oh， excuse me”， and touch the person.

Garcia-Navarro： 5）PDAs？ Not a problem either.

Moura： I can see people are kissing each other at the Metro and they dont worry about other people seeing them.

Garcia-Navarro： In most countries in the world people are on the Metro and theyre staring at their feet or theyve got their headphones on and theyre in their own little world. And here people are very engaged. Theyre talking to one another， theyre interacting. Its a much livelier scene than in other cities.

（Soundbite of chatter）

Garcia-Navarro： Another surprising aspect to life here： There is a lot of respect for the elderly and mothers with children. At the supermarket， at the cinema， at government offices， they have special lines that give these people priority. Family is important here. Even though， because of the high cost of living， they tend to be small， families are 6）close-knit. Everyone gathers on a Sunday for lunch but they often visit during the week as well. And that sense of caring translates into how people treat others in public spaces. As Im standing on the Metro， I see a young woman offer her seat to an older one with a smile.

Railda： （Foreign language spoken）

Garcia-Navarro： Railda is a retiree and is now comfortably sitting down. She says she often gets offered a seat. Still， she tells me， Brazil is an incredibly violent country and shes often nervous when out in the city.

And thats what makes all this contact all the more surprising. Many of the people Ive spoken to today say that crime is one of their main concerns when they go on public transport， and yet that doesnt stop them from this important human-to-human contact. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro， NPR News， on the Sao Paolo Metro.

Leila Fadel： And this is Leila Fadel in Cairo. This is a noisy city， a crowded city of some 16 million people. On my balcony， I can see the lady across the 7）alley 8）ironing her clothes. Last week， I was watching TV and someone yelled from the building next door to turn it down.

（Soundbite of horn honking）

Fadel： My producer Dina Saleh and I spent the day on a microbus. Egyptians use these minivans to get around the city for the 9）equivalent of about 25 cents. Were 10）squished in the back next to two other women， and 12 more people are piled in. But its a national holiday， and Dina says this is nothing compared to a workday.

Dina Saleh： This is not even close. Like visually， people will be sitting on top of each other， maybe hanging off the door.

Fadel： Young boys with no cash jump on the back for a free ride.

Unidentified man： （Foreign language spoken）

Fadel： Walking around the city is like dealing with an 11）obstacle course. The narrow streets are made more narrow by cars 12）haphazardly parked on the sidewalks， sometimes even in the middle of the street.

（Soundbite of horn honking）

Fadel： So were standing in one of the most crowded parts of Cairo in Giza Square， where theres really no sense of personal space. Theres no legal time to cross the street， you just cross when you can. Just now as I was talking， a man brushed up right against me and didnt even notice， didnt even apologize cause thats normal here.

（Soundbite of chatter）

Fadel： In the morning， Egyptians crowd around breakfast 13）stands throughout the capital. Men serve up hot 14）fava bean 15）mash with veggies and bread. And people eat at the stand as others flash money above their heads to get service， bodies pressed up against each other. A friend jokes that by the time you get your food you need to shake the other customers out of your clothes.

（Soundbite of chatter）

Fadel： And without space there is no privacy. In every Cairo apartment building is the bawab， the building guard. He knows the comings and goings of every resident on the street. And to this day when a young woman is getting married， families of the groom will 16）interrogate the bawab about the potential bride. Do men come and go from the apartment？ Does she come home late at night？ But the closeness is also comforting. It is a fundamentally kind city. If you fall， a slew of people will rush to your aid. No one will walk by thinking “not my problem”. It is loud， crowded and 17）claustrophobic， and it is 18）maddening and wonderful at the same time.

Martin： Thats NPRs Leila Fadel in Cairo. So， whether youre there in Egypt or Sao Paolo， Brazil or Jerry Seinfelds apartment in Manhattan， remember： if Elaines boyfriend Aaron shows up， you might want to take a few steps in reverse.

（Soundbite of TV show， “Seinfeld”）

Reinhold： （as Aaron） Hi. Oh， you must be Kramer. Ive heard about you.

（Laughter）

Michael Richards： （as Kramer） You must be Aaron. Ive heard about you.

瑞秋·馬?。ㄖ鞒秩耍何覀兎讲怕犝f一個人在擁擠嘈雜的伊斯坦布爾街道上期盼德國式的秩序，原因在于，老實說，德國人真的非常講秩序。我曾在那兒為NPR播報一年，我可以就我個人的經(jīng)歷說這也是一個人們注重個人空間的地方。在地鐵上、人行道上，德國人對與自己最近距離的人之間有多少空間非常在意。然而，當(dāng)然總是有例外，我說的是，總的來說他們更喜歡多一些空間。這是我們的所想。有時候是下意識的。我們需要周圍有多少空間？有一個地方讓這種緊張狀態(tài)更明顯：升降電梯。

（電梯“叮”的聲音）

升降電梯聲：電梯上升。

馬?。哼€有比升降電梯更讓人不想多待的公共空間嗎？我的意思是，你走進電梯，沒有與你交談，人人都避免眼神的

接觸，你悄悄挪動腳，想要盡可能地與其他人之間有更多的空間。在一部升降電梯里，人們不得不擠入別人的個人空間。在自動取款機前的情況如何？我是說，應(yīng)該離取款的人多近而不會讓人感到不安？杰瑞·宋飛曾經(jīng)在他一部老電視劇里用一整集來講個人空間，同時還教給我們一個新詞——近距離談話者。

（電視劇《宋飛正傳》片段）

杰瑞·宋飛：（飾演杰瑞）誰?。?/p>

茱莉葉·露易絲-德利法斯：（飾演伊萊恩）是我們。

宋飛：（飾演杰瑞）快上來。是伊萊恩，和她一起沒問題，是吧？匿名女聲：我們喜歡伊萊恩。

宋飛：她想來打個招呼，帶上她的新男朋友。

匿名女聲：他人怎么樣？

宋飛：人不錯，就是有點喜歡近距離談話。

匿名女聲：什么？

宋飛：你會明白的。

馬丁：凱瑟琳·素雷爾斯研究個人空間和不同文化背景的人們所持的觀念。她是加州大學(xué)北嶺分校的教授。她說，站得有多近取決于你是哪里人。

凱瑟琳·素雷爾斯：文化空間能說明很多問題。它能說明（人類）關(guān)系的本質(zhì)，人們經(jīng)常讀到這些，盡管他們并未意識到。因此，我想能夠解釋這件事的觀點是，你在其中，并且有所感受，了解其中的意義所在；當(dāng)你身在其外，就無法解釋，你沒法理解，還時有誤解。這與一些深層次的東西有所關(guān)聯(lián)，比如信任。

馬?。何覀儊砜纯磥碜允澜缟蟽蓚€不同地方的人對個人空間的態(tài)度。首先跟隨NPR記者羅德斯·加西亞-納瓦羅從巴西的圣保羅開始。

羅德斯·加西亞-納瓦羅：我現(xiàn)在在圣保羅的地鐵上。這是一個有2000萬人口的城市，是全球最大的城市之一。一些人每天得在上班路上花上三小時，從城市的一邊到另一邊。但是有一點你會注意到，在這兒搭乘公共交通工具的感受與美國完全不同，非常具有巴西特色。保拉·莫拉：我去過其他一些國家，沒人會互相觸碰，似乎每人都有自己的空間。個人空間在其他國家被看得很重，但是這里卻不然。

加西亞-納瓦羅：保拉·莫拉在巴西為

NPR工作。她說巴西就是一個碰碰撞撞的地方。

莫拉：如果我想要走到另一節(jié)車廂，我會說，“噢，借過”，然后拍拍別人。

加西亞-納瓦羅：在公共場合親熱呢？也不是問題。莫拉：我看到人們在地鐵上相互親吻，并不擔(dān)心別人看到。

加西亞-納瓦羅：世界上大多數(shù)國家的地鐵上，人們盯著自己的腳看，或是戴上耳機，在自己的小世界里。在這里，人們相處融洽。他們與別人交談、互動。這比其他城市所見更活躍。

（談話聲）

加西亞-納瓦羅：這兒的生活還有一點讓人驚奇：尊老愛幼無處不在。在超市，在電影院，在政府辦公室，他們?yōu)檫@些特殊人群設(shè)立了優(yōu)先特殊通道。家庭在這里很重要。盡管如此，由于生活成本過高，他們更傾向于組建小家庭，各個家庭在這里是緊密聯(lián)系的。每周日大家都聚集在一起吃午飯，但平日里也經(jīng)常如是。那種相互照顧的涵義可解釋人們在公共空間是如何對待彼此的。正如我現(xiàn)在在地鐵上，我看到一位年輕的女士微笑著給年長者讓座。瑞爾達：（說外語）

加西亞-納瓦羅：瑞爾達已經(jīng)退休了，現(xiàn)在正舒適地坐下。她說經(jīng)常有人給她讓座。但是，她告訴我們，巴西是一個充滿暴力的國家，當(dāng)她在城里外出時經(jīng)常感到很緊張。

那就是這些接觸更讓人驚奇的原因。今天我所交談過的許多人都表示犯罪是他們搭乘公共交通工具的主要擔(dān)憂之一，但是那無法阻止他們進行這重要的人與人之間的交流。NPR新聞頻道的羅德斯·加西亞-納瓦羅在圣保羅地鐵報道。

雷拉·法德勒：這里是雷拉·法德勒在開羅的報道。這是一個喧鬧的城市，也是一個約有1 6 0 0萬人口的擁擠的城市。在我的陽臺上，我可以看到一位女士在巷子里熨衣服。上周，我正在看電視，旁邊的大廈里傳來某人的大聲叫喊，讓我關(guān)小點兒聲。

（汽車?yán)嚷暎?/p>

法德勒：我的制片人蒂娜·薩利赫和我在小型巴士上過了一天。埃及人用相當(dāng)于25美分的價錢可以坐微型面包車在城里四處逛逛。我們與另兩個婦女背靠背緊挨著，車?yán)镞€擠著其他12個人。但這是一個全國性的節(jié)日，蒂娜說這是工作日所無法比擬的。

蒂娜·薩利赫：這還不算靠得近的。像從視覺上看，人們像是坐在對方的頭上，也許還得懸在門上。

法德勒：一些沒錢的年輕小子從后面跳上車，只為了免費搭一程。

匿名男聲：（說外語）

法德勒：在城里步行逛逛就好像穿越障礙物訓(xùn)練場一樣。本已狹窄的街道因隨意?？吭谌诵械郎希袝r甚至停在街道中間的車輛而顯得更狹窄了。

（汽車?yán)嚷暎?/p>

法德勒：我們現(xiàn)在站在開羅最擁擠的地方之一——吉薩廣場，這里真的無所謂個人空間可言。這里橫過馬路沒有法定時間，你想過時就可以過。剛才我正在說話，一個男人就這么擦過我身邊甚至沒留意到，更別說道歉了，因為在這兒，那再平常不過了。

（談話聲）

法德勒：早上，埃及人堆擠在首都各地的早餐攤點。人們端著混有蔬菜和面包的蠶豆糊，就站在攤點那吃，任由其他人的錢在他們頭上揮來揮去，每個人的身體都擠在一起。一位朋友開玩笑說，到你拿到自己食物的時候，你需要抖動衣服將其他顧客抖走。

（談話聲）

法德勒：沒有空間就沒有隱私。開羅每一棟公寓樓，都有門衛(wèi)。他熟識街上來來往往的每一位居民。有天如果一位年輕的女士要結(jié)婚了，那么新郎的家人會來詢問門衛(wèi)關(guān)于這位未來新娘的事情。有男人出入公寓嗎？她晚歸嗎？但是這種親密感也會讓人感到舒心。這基本上是一個很友善的城市。如果你摔倒了，很多人會跑來幫助你。沒人路過時會想著“這并不是我的過錯”。這里很喧鬧、擁擠和幽閉恐怖，但同時也讓人發(fā)狂，讓人感覺美妙無比。

馬?。耗鞘荖PR記者雷拉·法德勒在開羅的報道。那么，無論你是在埃及還是巴西的圣保羅，還是杰瑞·宋飛所在的位于曼哈頓的公寓，記?。喝绻寥R恩的男朋友艾倫出現(xiàn)，你可能會想要退后幾步。

（電視劇《宋飛正傳》片段）

萊茵霍爾德：（飾演艾倫）大家好。噢，你一定是克萊默。我聽說過你。

（笑聲）

邁克爾·理查德斯：（飾演克萊默）你一定是艾倫，我也聽說過你。

Lets see what people think about personal spaces：

Susan Lynch

Im a 60 something administrator at a large private university and take the elevator from the parking structure each morning. When I get in， I immediately engage each elevator inhabitant by asking if they are going to have a good day？ We share， and as were about to disembark I say that， if things are going a little slow this afternoon and youre afraid the day isnt going as well as expected， just remember you met the Elevator Cheerleader this morning， and everything will be fine. And we all smile. Its a great way to start the day. And our bank of elevators has the reputation of being the most interactive on campus， which gets our heads out of our electronic devices and engaging with real people. And my personal revolutionary recruitment seems to be working.

Lemon Tree

It is not just the personal boundary thing but also for me it is a manners thing. For instance I go to the grocery store and even before I can put the money in my wallet the next person is moving up on me to push me out of the way. Its like giving a person a second okay？ I understand on a train or at an event there will be many people and I might get bumped or whatever and I dont necessarily expect an “excuse me” but in day to day activities when this happens I think an “excuse me” or “pardon me” goes a long way.

Amanda Y

I am teaching in South Korea right now and the students here... well everyone actually are very touchy-feely. My experience here has opened my eyes to a different way of interacting with people. The students here think nothing of coming and standing next to me or sitting on my leg. They play with my hair and are always touching my face. I thought this was because I am foreign with blonde hair and blue eyes which they dont see a lot... but I find they are all open to touching their friends and family too. Girls walk down the streets holding hands or linking arms. Boys always have their arms around each other. Its very interesting. At first I was really shocked and felt very awkward. I know in the US， if a student and teacher interacted in such a way， the teacher would probably be fired. But here， it is looked upon as unwelcoming to the students. Just...interesting.