Introduction
It is known that high population density could increase the risk of infectious diseases as well as non-infectious diseases. Crowding is also associated to higher crime rates, social disorganization and higher mortality rate according to several empirical studies (Altman, 1981). Another element which is related to high population density is noise. Crowding and noise could affect individuals in a variety of ways. The behavior of individuals could also be affected by crowding and noise especially when their territoriality, privacy and personal space are disturbed. People tend to become aggressive and frustrated when their territoriality, privacy and personal space are affected.
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These problems are common to urban areas due to the large population density and massive noise pollution. One of the main solution of people in relieving stress and anxiety on these urban problems is visiting areas which resembles nature such as zoo, parks and gardens. People are also using noise reduction strategies in order to avoid its negative effects on individuals. The objective of this essay is to evaluate how the concepts of territoriality, privacy and personal space become gradually significant as the population density becomes higher. The essay also opts to analyze the effects of noise on the individuals and to define some of the strategies in reducing the noise in the workplace or in the living environment.
Territoriality, Privacy and Personal Space and the Effects of High Population Density
Some of the individual elements such as territoriality, privacy and personal space are crucial for the development of well-being. According to Sack (1983), human territoriality is a behavior or human tendency to attempt to assert or take control over a specific geographical area or space. These places are often influenced and protected by the individuals who owned them. This behavior could be also be observable to animals. Most of the animals often use violence or force in order to protect their own territories. Human territoriality is not only for the safety of the individual’s geographic area. Territories are commonly important for individuals since it provides sense of protection and freedom.
The most common element in which individuals try to protect is their personal space and privacy. Personal space refers to the distance or space in which individuals tend to leave or maintain between them and the other people (Altman, 1981). People have their own choice for their personal space and it usually vary between cultures. They tend to separate things which are too personal for them and protect them from the other people.
Personal space and human territoriality are the mechanism in which humans used in order to protect their privacy. Privacy could be referred to as control of access and exclusion of information of oneself to the others (Altman, 1981). It could also be referred to as the personal choice of the individual to exclude from interaction of oneself to the other group. Privacy is often crucial for individual’s social development. Every individual has its own privacy needs and values.
In general, human territoriality, privacy and personal space is important for social development. Crowding could be considered as one of the threats for these individual elements. When the population density increases, the amount of available space for individuals to control or influence their own privacy becomes limited. In this case, privacy becomes more important due to the declining amount of available space. Humans tend to protect and control their privacy even more when they feel that their personal space are now being limited.
Human territoriality and personal space becomes the medium or tool of humans for defending their privacy. It becomes more important when there are more people trying to protect or control their own privacy. In simple terms, the value of things become more important when there are scarcity of source or aspects associated with it. The analogy is the same when it comes to privacy. Lastly, people tend to control their territoriality, privacy and personal space because it is important to their well-being. As population becomes denser, the risk of having stress, anxiety or being aggressive also increases. In this case, human territoriality, privacy and personal space become more important in order to avoid the negative effects of crowding.
Nature’s Effect on People Exposed and Living in Urban Environments
Urban environments have denser population than rural areas. Aside from stress and issues faced by the individuals living in urban areas, there are other problems such as noise, traffic and pollution which could lead to negative effects. The negative effects include poor health condition, poor social and individual development, and social disorganization. One strategy for individuals to avoid these problems is to visit places which resembles nature such as zoo, parks and gardens. These places could provide social interaction for individuals and the nature itself. It could provide a relaxing feeling and removes stress due to the problems faced by the individuals living in an urbanized area.
There are studies which reports that natural environment in the urban areas could promote social development and improved health for individuals. The study of DeVries et al (2003), concluded that places which resembles nature such as zoo, parks and gardens are important in the urban areas since they could reduce the problems faced by the individuals such as aggression, anxiety and stress due to crowding, pollution, traffic and noise. The relaxing nature of these places could also be the main reason why it could influence the emotion and behavior of individuals living in the urban areas.
Effects of Noise on Individuals
Noise could be referred to as unwanted sounds which are perceived by individuals usually with high intensity. In most cases, they are unwanted by individuals because they have high intensity or they disturbing them for a long period of time. One major example of noise is the sounds which are made in traffics. There are different types of noise and it could be classified as pollution since it was unwanted. Noise could affect individuals at a variety of ways. Various individuals could also behave differently on noise.
The effect of noise on humans have been studied before. Some started to conduct research on the effects of noise on animals and they found out that noise could lead to the aggressive behavior and disorganization of animals. Some studies also focused on the effects of noise on the behavior of humans such as the study of Louen, Wehrens and Vallee (2014). They found out that noise could have negative effects on humans such as sleeping problems, reducing quality of life and increasing nervousness. Others studies also associated noise with increased aggression, anxiety and stress among individuals which could lead to physical and psychological health problems.
Strategies in Reducing Noise
One of the main noise reduction strategy is to avoid them. It is better to think that noise should always be there even if they are unwanted. Some of the strategies in avoiding noise in the workplace is to find room or area which are noise free. It is also the same with the living environment. However, there are some situations in which changing the area or avoiding noise is not an option. Noise reduction methods or techniques could be used in these situations.
One method to reduce the noise is to trap the sound waves entering the room. Sound waves often travels faster on rigid objects such as cement, glass and metals. Sound waves could easily enter the room through glass windows. In order to avoid noise, fabrics should be placed at the windows. Fabrics could also be placed at the walls or at the floors in order to avoid echoing of noise. Fabrics are known to slow down sound waves and it could help in reducing the noise. Other methods of noise reduction could also be used such as auditory masking and reducing open spaces in the houses or workplace.
Conclusion
Crowding and noise could affect individuals by influencing their behavior or disturbing them. Psychological and physical health could be at risk if there are too much crowding or too much noise in the environment. Some of the aspects of individual well-being such as human territoriality, privacy and personal space could become crucial when there is crowding. In order to avoid the negative effects of crowding in urban areas, it is advisable to visit places which resembles nature such as zoo, park and garden. Noise could also affect the behavior and health of individuals and noise reduction strategies such as using fabrics could be used to avoid these negative effects.
References
Altman, I. (1981). The environment and social behavior: privacy, personal space, territory, crowding. New York, NY: Irving.
DeVries, S., Verheij, R., Groenewegen, P., & Spreeuwenberg, P. (2003). Natural environments -healthy environments? An exploratory analysis of the relationship between greenspace and health. Environment and Planning, 35(10), 1717-1731
Louen, C., Wehrens, A., & Vallee, D. (2014). Analysis of the effectiveness of different noise reducing measures based on individual perceptions in Germany. Transportation Research Procedia, 4(1), 472-481.
Sack, R. (1983). Human Territoriality: A Theory. Taylor and Francis.
