Hakeem was dismayed to discover that he offended coworkers by standing 2 feet away from them during business conversations. In the U. S., what distance would have been more appropriate? PS 2100

Personal space differs from culture to culture, though it is widely acknowledged that Europe and U. S have bigger personal space requirements that their counterparts in Asia.

Hakeem might not realize it but it's commonly accepted for Americans to have a distance between four to twelve feet between one another in social settings, especially in professional ones. A distance of two feet is only acceptable if the individual is part of the person's inner circle, such as friends and family.