personalarea

Personal area refers to the spatial zone surrounding a person that is considered private or socially appropriate to occupy without intrusion. In proxemics, researchers study how people use space in everyday interactions and how the size of the personal area is influenced by culture, relationship, context, and power dynamics.

Typical distance categories used in proxemics include intimate space under 0.5 meters, personal space from about 0.5 to 1.2 meters, social space from about 1.2 to 3.0 meters, and public space beyond roughly 3 meters. These ranges are approximate and vary widely across cultures, settings, and individual preferences.

Personal Area Network is a different use of the term and refers to a computer network for devices within close proximity to a person. PAN ranges are generally up to about 10 meters, depending on the technology. Common technologies include Bluetooth, Zigbee, and near-field communication (NFC). PANs enable wireless connections among devices such as smartphones, headphones, wearables, and computer peripherals, often in topologies like piconets or star layouts.

The two senses of personal area are distinct but share a common emphasis on proximity. One concerns the socially defined space around an individual, while the other describes a practical networking envelope for connecting personal devices within a short range.