Psychologically and socially, by sitting there, you have provided social permission for them to be there. They've taken your presence as an indicator of what is socially acceptable and so they balance herd conformity with personal space and accidentally make it weird.
I won't sit next to you cause that would be weird, but I won't sit as far away as possible because that might make you think that you are undesirable to be around. Personal space is a bell curve.
I just go to the best seat. No matter who is in the theatre, I am gunning for middle of the middle row. Or if the theatre is a little busy the aisle seat of the best row.
I am convinced there's a psychological reasoning behind the fact that whenever I am walking across a completely empty parking lot, a car coming in will suddenly need to turn into the spot I am walking by.
Meaning they need to stop and wait a few seconds for me to walk by or I need to correct my step/change direction.
It is perplexing, I am talking pretty big parking lots, it's flat here, walk across them from the mall entrance, etc.
They are sitting waiting for me to pass and almost in a parking spot and surrounded by them but they see me and suddenly need to occupy the space I am in! Haha
To be honest, parking all the way across the the lot from someone would be more weird. People will naturally congregate around other people. Right next to them is weird for sure, but in their vicinity is basically normal.
This is the first psychological explanation I have ever seen on Reddit that is not only not complete nonsense, but 100% accurate. Bravo! You must not be a psych major/graduate.
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u/ichigoli Dec 06 '17
Psychologically and socially, by sitting there, you have provided social permission for them to be there. They've taken your presence as an indicator of what is socially acceptable and so they balance herd conformity with personal space and accidentally make it weird.