psychological distance
Emotional remove maintained
Psychological distance is the perceived separation between oneself and something else—an event, person, place, or idea.
Distance increases along several dimensions: time (past or future events feel remote), space (faraway places), social connection (strangers versus loved ones), and hypotheticality (unlikely scenarios).
Greater psychological distance leads to more abstract thinking: From psychological distance, the crisis seemed manageable.
The concept explains why we think differently about things that feel close versus far.
- relationshipsLinks between individuals
- proximityNearness in space
- arm's lengthDeliberate professional distance
- anticipationState of awaiting something
- counterfactualsPropositions contrary to fact
possibility · memory · hypotheticality · what if · abstraction · big picture · speculation · future · down the road · hierarchy · imagination · estrangement · past · long ago · once upon a time · remoteness · boundaries · timeline
psychological distanceemotional intimacy
Deep personal connection
rapport · emotional bond · attachment · warmth · affinity
psychological distanceimmersion
State of being submerged
presence · engagement · involvement · absorption · flow state
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