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Comment by irremediable | Hacker News Reader

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else agrees with the author about disliking it when people walk behind him. For some reason, I find having people behind me really distracting. I think it stems from having people watch my screen while I try to code. Instant productivity killer.

Interestingly, I don't find this precludes open plan offices. It just means I want to grab a corner desk.

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It's the same for me I really dislike the idea of having people behind me and not knowing what they are doing. I also don't really like knowing people can stare at my screen so I always try to win a spot in a corner or with my back to a wall

It's a primary reaction : animals dislike to show their back to "enemies", even if coworkers aren't technically enemies (some aren't really allies either).

I've noticed, when you invite a guest to sit in a room, the guest will almost always takes the chair with the back facing the wall.

Agreed, I intensely dislike having my back to a room (including in places such as restaurants), and this was always my explanation, too.

(Actually, the explanation I give to people is that I'm terrified of assassination attempts, which is related from a scientific point of view but has the bonus of making my life sound much more exciting than it is.)

Conversely, sitting in a central, exposed position might be a primal show of confidence. Just something to bear in mind.

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