Indeed. People are gravitating towards spaces that make them feel comfortable and safe, subconsciously or not, when engaging in the sort of intimate interactions that an in-depth conversation can be. One practical consideration that probably also often plays a part is acoustics, literally how easy it is to hear and to be heard.
Very interesting to think about, considering my anxiety tends to push me in the opposite direction, so I favore less crowded spaces or less physical closeness to other people.
The acoustic component is worth diving into, to me, since this is a big trigger. If the space is too loud, or cacophonous, I end up starting to lose higher-order functioning and have to vacate or wear my earplugs/noise-canceling headphones and just cut myself off from the sound (makes my job pretty awkward at times, tbh)
Small spaces amplify this acoustic aversion for me, especially when there are already people occupying the area. It's not claustrophobia, more of a "my brain will try to focus on all sounds at once and get sensory overload, so I probably should not go/stay there."
Yeah, the acoustics definitely depend on the space, but often it's easier to talk next to a wall, or of course if there's a main source of noise, somewhere away from it, like in a hallway.
