Overstaffing is undesirable, because not each person has a station. Competition for resources Related to ecological. High density can produce intensified competition for resources, such as food, shelter, etc. The physical closeness of others is not so much a problem as is the intensified competition of increasingly scarce resources. In humans, crowding, as described by either the ecological or competition model, relates to the type of activity.
Humans utilize many environments which vary in the kinds of activities performed within.
There is a point for any activity where increases in density will lead to crowding. This is a useful approach, because it predicts differences in crowding depending on a persons physical location in an area. More crowding in central locations, and less on the periphery. If you have a choice, you will experience more control and may not be bothered as much by social density. According to Knowles, the impact of other people on the individual is a logarithmic function of the distance from the others present.