Spatial Dynamics of Waiting Room Seating Selection: A Game-Theoretic Analysis

This paper applies game-theoretic frameworks to analyze seating behavior in public waiting rooms, modeling the scenario as a multi-player game with incomplete information regarding fellow occupants' territorial boundaries and expected wait duration. Through observational studies across 45 waiting rooms (medical offices, DMVs, airport gates, and public service offices, n=3,200 unique seating decisions), we identify consistent patterns in spatial decision-making.

Our primary finding concerns what we term "social spacing collapse" (SSC), a phase transition in collective behavior occurring at approximately 60% room occupancy. Below this threshold, individuals reliably maximize interpersonal distance following a predictable algorithm we formalize as the Okonkwo Spacing Protocol (OSP). Above this threshold, the protocol breaks down, and subjects exhibit measurable physiological stress responses including elevated heart rate (mean increase: 12 BPM), increased cortisol levels, and behavioral indicators such as bag repositioning, phone engagement, and avoidance of eye contact.

Experiment 2 introduced confederates who violated the OSP at varying occupancy levels, sitting adjacent to subjects despite available distant seats. Violation tolerance increased linearly with occupancy (r=0.91), suggesting that perceived "rudeness" of proximity violations is contextually calibrated to available alternatives.

We discuss implications for waiting room design, including optimal chair arrangement patterns that delay SSC onset, and propose guidelines for architects and facility managers seeking to minimize occupant stress in high-traffic public spaces.