Research & Publications

Why and how interpersonal distance shapes relationships at work.

Research Overview

Most full-time employees spend more waking hours with coworkers than with family or friends, yet reports of workplace loneliness keep rising. My research asks how organizations can navigate this disconnection by treating interpersonal distance—the social, psychological, and physical separation or space between two or more individuals—not as a fixed byproduct of organizational life but as a characteristic of relating that can be activated by role expectations, interactions, and work structures. I use multi-method designs (field studies, team lab studies, yoked and confederate-based experiments) to identify real-world patterns and their causal mechanisms.

Interpersonal Distance Evolutionary Psychology Workplace Relationships Leadership & Dominance Hierarchy & Status Teams Mentorship

Read Laurel's full research statement (PDF)

Publications & Working Papers

Job Market Paper

Dominance, Distrust, and Physical Distance in Leader–Follower Relationships

Detert, L.J., Case, C.R., & Ronay, R. — under review at Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. [Download paper]

Peer-Reviewed Publications & Chapters

  1. Detert, L.J., Ronay, R., & Case, C.R. (in press). The eras tour: Unpacking the grammar of interpersonal distance as a form of social technology over time. In Nørfelt, A.W., Kock, F., & Lindgreen, A. (Eds.), Research Handbook on Evolutionary Psychology in Business. Edward Elgar, London.
  2. Case, C.R., & Detert, L.J. (2024). Are male leaders (believed to be) less prestige-oriented than female leaders? Evolution and Human Behavior, 45(3), 315–316.
  3. Settle, J., & Detert, L.J. (2023). Biology and politics. In L. Huddy, D. Sears, J. Levy, & J. Jerit (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology (3rd ed., pp. 280–309).

Manuscripts Under Review

  1. Detert, L.J., & Greer, L.L. Team differentiation and emotional dynamics. 1st-round Revise & Resubmit at Academy of Management Journal.
  2. Detert, L.J., Ronay, R., & Case, C.R. Leader dominance and interpersonal distance choices. Under review at Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.

Manuscripts in Preparation

  1. Detert, L.J., & Case, C.R. Parenting our protégés: How the parental care motivational system influences mentorship investment decisions. Best Paper Award, Feminist Evolutionary Psychology Society (NEEPS 2023).
  2. Detert, L.J., & Detert, J.R. Optimistic or realistic? How fear limits courage contagion. (For Organization Science.)
  3. Hahn, R., Bloshinsky, A., Detert, L.J., Makhanova, A., Case, C.R., & Hays, N.A. The flexible nature of women's leader identity claiming: An ovarian hormone perspective. (For Journal of Applied Psychology.)

Works in Progress

  1. Detert, J.R., Parmar, B.P., & Detert, L.J. Effectiveness of experiential leadership development. (Data analysis.)
  2. Detert, L.J., & Case, C.R. When and for whom parental care motives hurt mentorship quality. (Data collection.)
  3. Bradley, C.M., Detert, L.J., & Mayer, D.M. Words of wellbeing: Gender incongruence and wellbeing programs. (Data collection.)
  4. Detert, L.J., & Detert, J.R. Gender differences in perceptions of courageous behavior. (Data collection.)
  5. Case, C.R. & Detert, L.J. The challenges of cross-race mentorship. (Ideation.)
  6. Ronay, R., Detert, L.J., & Case, C.R. Distance by design: Interpersonal distance as a leadership tool. (Ideation.)