Give me space: Sex, attractiveness, and mind perception as potential contributors to different comfort distances for humans and robots

Previous research in human-robot interactions has shown that comfort distance from robots is influenced by factors such as a robot's likability, gaze behavior, and attractiveness. However, comfort distance from robots versus humans has been sparsely explored, and with mixed findings. Across two studies (N = 443) we systematically explored whether type of agent (human vs humanoid robot), agent's sex, and distance influence comfort ratings. Comfort ratings are positively associated with distance for female (Study 1, N = 170) and male agents (Study 2, N = 273), and participants reported higher comfort for humans than humanoid robots. While higher comfort was reported for female vs male humans, there was no significant difference between comfort ratings for female vs male robots. Additionally, attractiveness and mind perception were found to parallel comfort ratings, meaning that humans were rated more attractive than humanoid robots, and higher on agency (the ability to do) and experience (the ability to feel). This suggests that attractiveness and mind perception might have contributed to the comfort ratings. Implications of these findings and avenues for future research are discussed.