Our private space is sacred, and we feel violated is someone invades that personal bubble. In the United States the bubble is about the length of and arm, and we talk about arm's-length relationship, meaning that we keep someone at a distance and don't allow that person into our personal sphere. That bubble is a little bit smaller in Latin countries and the Middle East. The size of the private space also is influenced by social status, gender, age and level of authority, further complicating the interpretation of space in communication