I agree with ezpz - it is also largely cultural. There are often taboo spots on the body to actually touch depending on the relationship with the other person. But in many societies it is completely normal to sit down very close to a complete stranger, be very close and maybe even touching when talking to a stranger, hold hands with members of the same sex in a non-sexual way, etc. I don't doubt that Americans get upset when their personal bubble is violated - we are all encultured bodies and we learn to experience space through that. But I wonder what results they'd get if they did this study in India.

This is pretty much our university's definition of plagiarism. Whoever told you it isn't is full of it. If a student turned in a wonderfully written, fully cited, and thoughtful paper that they didn't write I'd send them to the dean faster than you can blink.

This would be amazing in airports and train stations, though it might need to have large windows for security. A few Christmases ago I ended up in the Atlanta airport overnight after a snowstorm delayed our flight. Delta of course refused to put us up in a hotel for an Act of God so we had to find a way to sleep in the airport. The only area in the entire airport with a single continuous bench is in the kid's play section and they forbid you to sleep there. We also got paranoid about someone stealing our stuff, so we took turns curling up in those awful chairs trying to doze while the other read and watched our things. I would have given an arm and a leg for a few hours in one of these.