Population Density Paper
This student will talk about the Cafe shop at Rodeo Dr named cafe Ruge and the bank office located around the corner. He will be highlighting the differences in these two work places in terms of the population density in each. The population density of any place may be defined as the number of people who live in a unit area and it is usually measured in square kilometers. These measurements are however restricted to particular defined areas such as county’s, provinces, states among other divisions.
In this case we shall define population density as the number of people in the cafe or bank at a particular period of time. In a cafe the population density can be seen to be high since many people will be walking in and out while in a bank the density is far much less. These two extreme situations provide the basis for our assessment on the effects of population density on humans. Studies have shown that in more ways than one the increase in population density will cause stress which mainly manifests itself in increased rates of disorders which may range from physical, psychological and even social disorders (Collette, 1976). The effects of population density on humans have mainly been linked to studies which have been carried out on animals.
The studies have been very consistent in their findings with scientists being more satisfied with the conclusions that the studies have established. High population density otherwise referred to as crowding has been linked to heightened neurological activity and imbalance in hormones. Other results that it portrays are a decrease in normal reproduction, high levels of aggression, morbidity and mortality rates (Calhoun, 1962). Most of th studies tend to come up with the same or similar conclusions on the effects of population density. The well documented findings leave no doubt about the effects of population density on human behavior. The findings however true and analytical they may seem still leave room for thought in their applicability considering the extent to which they can be generalized to the situations that humans find themselves in each and every day (Collette, 1976).
These findings in more ways than one may tend to pose the obvious danger of trying to generalize the outcomes as a common occurrence to humans. The findings mostly use animals in their studies and it is pretty obvious that there is a clear difference between the way animals and humans react to different conditions. In light of this the student tries to draw the parallels and similarities by studying the effects of different population densities particularly in a cafe and a bank environment.In the cafe environment one of the obvious things that is easily noticeable is the amount of noise that characterizes many of the cafes. This noise is the outcome of high population density which we had said earlier was to be measured as the number of people in a particular area at a particular time.
This high population in the cafe will obviously have some effects. One of the common effects that characterize this setting is the relatively large amount of noise in the cafe. Noise in itself has been described as any sound that is unnecessary. Others have tried defining noise as “spurious seismic signals from ground motion not associated with reflections”(Dobrin and Savit, 1988). Their definition of noise centers on the concept of noise being a sound that is uninterestting. In the cafe this can be the case if you are enjoying your meal while another person is shouting orders that do not concern you at all.
This type of sound will in more ways than one be both unnecessary and stressful in your part. The bank in the other place is much more organized with less if any noise coming out at all. It has been noted that various individuals will react differently to noise. This phenomenon has been described as noise sensitivity. It is one of the common terms that are used in doing research on noise. The term is a variable meaning that it differs with each individual.
This has a meaning that some individuals will describe certain sounds to be noise while others may not seem bothered by the same sound. In the cafe people shouting all over the place may seem as noise to you but to those shouting or the regular customers they may not in any way be bothered by the sounds. Sensitivity can usually be measured mainly by using questionnaires to gauge the amount of noise in which an individual may consider as noise (Weinstein, 1978).The bank environment is much more spacious and relaxed which creates some kind of a serene environment for both the customers and the staff of the bank. The workers at the bank also tend to enjoy privacy as in comparison to the cafe worker who works in a crowded environment. In these modern days where space is limited especially in urban area the tendencies to suffer from high population density effects are so real.
Urban areas are some of the worst hit area in terms of stress related occurrences. This is where you will find most of suicide cases as well as heightened drug use. These occurrences can in one way or another be traced back to the large density of population in the urban cities.
