Environmental psychology concepts and applications

¶ … psychology and human behavior. Specifically it will discuss the effects of population density on individuals, including noise and territoriality. Population density has a dramatic affect on the population, and it can even lead to major health concerns. Studies show that residents of high-noise areas suffer a variety of ailments, from loss of attention span to hearing loss and stress. The denser the population, the more noise, stress, and lack of personal space all come together to make living conditions far less bearable than any other living situation.

Noise is one of the biggest problems facing the residents of high-density population centers. Noise can affect just about every aspect of life, and it can make sleeping, learning, conversing, and every aspect of life nearly unbearable. Noise is a part of life, but high noise levels are often most prevalent in inner cities and areas of high population density, meaning that more people are the victims of noise and its effects in high population areas. A group of authors write, "The urban population is increasing at twice the rate of the nonurbanpopulation in the United States, and the number of noise sources is increasing at a greater rate than the rate of increase of population" (Harris, et al., 2004, p. 2). .It is the number one reason many people want to move from their current resident. Ambient noise is common in just about everyone's life, but high noise levels, from 55 decibels on up, can be detrimental and even dangerous to residents, and these noise levels are often a common element of city life.

Noise can come from a variety of sources, from heavy street traffic, airports, nearby industrial areas, loud neighbors, and nearby businesses that generate high noise levels. Noise is not just a nuisance, it can be damaging to health, too. The editors of a Web site note, "Levels of community noise above 55 decibels (dB) are associated with a large number of adverse health conditions. According to the World Health Organization, reductions of noise by 6-14 dBA ('A' = weighted) result in subjective and objective improvements in sleep" (Editors, 2009). Sleep deprivation is only one problem associated with noise. If it continues for too long, it can lead to marked hearing loss. It can lead to poor learning in students who attend schools with noise issues, and it can affect the students' attention spans, concentration, and even affect their reading abilities. It can lead to other health issues, as well. The editors continue, "There is a clear dose-response relationship between environmental noise from traffic and high blood pressure" (Editors, 2009). It can lead to more heart attacks, more stress, poor communication, and higher stress hormone levels in individuals who live and worth with constant noisy conditions (Editors, 2009).

Besides health concerns, noise is simply annoying. It drowns out conversations, television, and music, and if it never seems to stop, it can be a constant source of irritation and stress. A group of authors notes other effects. They write, "These effects include: interference with speech communication, sleep disturbance, physiological effects, interference with the learning process in schools, interference with leisure time and recreational activities, and reduction of residential property values" (Harris, et al., 2004, p. 2). .If you live and work in a noisy environment, it can affect every aspect of your life, and it can lead to arguments, feuds, and neighbors battling neighbors. Noise is higher in areas with a high population density, because there are simply more people to make more noise, and they are often thrown together in noisy environments, such as busy city streets, freeways nearby, or nearby airports. The author group continues, "There is no doubt that noise levels are directly related to population density, and since population densities are increasing in many areas of the country, the number of people adversely impacted by noise is increasing" (Harris, et. al., 2004, p. 5). Noise is far more subdued in suburban and rural environments because there are not as many people to make noise, and they are often far away from common noise sources, like airports and freeways.

Noise is annoying, it is harmful, and it is only growing. Another set of authors write, "The term annoyance does not begin to cover the wide range of negative reactions associated with noise pollution; these include anger, disappointment, dissatisfaction, withdrawal, helplessness, depression, anxiety, distraction, agitation, or exhaustion" (Goines and Hagler, 2007, p. 292). However, there are many ways to monitor and reduce noise in the workplace and living environments. Airports are a good example. Many airports have relocated to less population dense areas to reduce city noise levels, and in many areas, developments surrounding airports receive funding for noise-abatement insulation and windows, and planes are restricted as to the hours they can take off and land, so residents do not lose sleep when they live near airports. Other transportation methods, such as trains, subways, and big-rig trucks, do not usually have to follow these kinds of restrictions, and they are more difficult to control.

Currently, there is a national noise policy, but authors contend it is not being enforced and it is outdated. The current policy is The Noise Control Act of 1972 (NCA 72), but it does not address the problems of noise we face today, because those noise levels were not anticipated in 1972. Today, they advocate a new national noise control policy (NNP), because they believe local enforcement is not enough, and the enforcers are not familiar enough with noise problems and solutions. The author group continues, "A NNP should establish clear guidelines on federal vs. local responsibilities, and make clear jurisdictional decisions about what the agencies of the federal government should do, and what the state and local agencies should do" (Harris, et. al., p. 8). One step in reducing noise and the accompanying stress would be to create a new NNP and make sure it is consistently enforced and updated. Another way to control noise is to educate the people about the harms of noise pollution, in an attempt for people who live in population dense areas to help control their own noise, along with working with local officials to reduce environmental noise sources.

Another aspect of dense populations is the aspect of territoriality, privacy, and personal space. Everyone, no matter their age or status, wants somewhere they can "retreat" from the everyday world. People need personal space to relax and unwind, and they need at least some privacy to remain stress free and rational. It is difficult to relax and distress when there is no personal space or privacy, and that can lead to health and emotional issues. Humans are also very territorial. They want somewhere to call their own, where they can keep their possessions and have privacy. In dense populations, there is often little personal space or privacy, and this can lead to health and emotional issues that spiral out of control.