Crowd Tolerance

[Stiletto]

I am curious to know about your general tolerance towards being in crowds with tens, hundreds, or even thousands of unfamiliar people. Would you say you are able to easily cope with being amongst many people you don't know, or would you feel uncomfortable losing your identity in a large crowd?

This can vary depending on the context, but let's define "crowds" as being in the mall, among pedestrians in the big city, or being in some type of school rally (something routine basically).

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I'd say I have a medium tolerance with regard to being amongst unknown faces. What scares me the most is being out among the pedestrians in the city, where everybody sort of blends in and you kind of feel "isolated" (in the individual sense).

I can definitely cope with a little push and shove if it's really crowded, but it really tires me in the end.

[Tenshi no Ai]

Don't think I could really put an exact finger on which one to vote for... For me, it really varies... Sometimes I like to be around lots of people, and sometimes no. I live in a small town so obviously I don't see alot of people out and about, so sometimes it's almost kinda fun going to bigger cities where there's actually civilization! Like you think, "whoa! More people exist! NOW I see that the world really is a big place and there really is over 6 billion of us... (cause it sure doesn't feel that way sometimes in my own home town^^)" But sometimes, it's nice to come home where it's quiet and relaxing...

At work, I sometimes hate going shopping where there's soooo many people down every aisle, that you have to weave in between at least 10 people to get out :/ It's annoying and sometimes it's nice to have a little bit of space. But when it comes to MY work, it's nice to see lots of people shopping around. For once, it keeps me busy and that's nice^^ ALOT better than having nothing to do and wandering around, pretending to look busy :/ But, sometimes it's nice to see all the people shopping around (when you're not^^) because the store doesn't seem so big, empty, and lonely :/ I dunno, maybe that sounds werid^^ Who knows, maybe someone else can relate though.

I don't have a fear of crowds, I don't like being in them for a long long time, but sometimes is nice. *shrugs* That pretty much sums up my point of view on it^^

[mitsuki lover]

I spent my early years on the Minnesota prairie.I love the prairie country because you can see forever and a day.I say this because I hate crowds.Crowds are the total opposite of being on the prairie.You can't breath and you're always afraid that you might be stepping on some tyke.
This is why I perfer the prairie to crowds.I'd rather see what's on the horizon.

[Eaglestrike]

I went with High Tolerance. Most of those people aren't paying any attention to me nor will I be seeing them too often, if ever again. That and I generally don't care what others think of me.

[CreatureArt]

I'm usually high tolerance... however I get a weird dizzines/disorientation sometimes and then I can't handle crowds of people at all.

[Radical Dreamer]

I chose Medium Tolerance, though I'm probably somewhere between that and Low. XD I do tend to get claustrophobic, but not too easily. If I'm in a crowd where I can't move, I'll get out as fast as possible, but if I'm in a crowd where it's not that closed-in, I'm more ok with it. Crowds are pretty much a part of life, so while I won't go out of my way to stay away from them, I won't go out of my way to find them, either. XD

[RedMage]

Medium. I can handle crowds, but I don't enjoy them much and I certainly don't seek them out, and there are some events (like the biggest anime cons) I would avoid simply because of the sheer throngs of people.

[Mave]

My current lifestyle includes getting into unfamiliar crowds as close to being sardines in a can (or rather squeezing into a Tokyo train during peak time). I only start getting uncomfortable when I have to endure a medley of bad body odour. Urgh some ppl could use a shower......(@_@);;

[Stiletto]

But, sometimes it's nice to see all the people shopping around (when you're not^^) because the store doesn't seem so big, empty, and lonely :/ I dunno, maybe that sounds werid^^ Who knows, maybe someone else can relate though.

That's totally not weird at all. ^_^ The good thing about being in crowds (at least in how I generally perceive them) is being able to indirectly meet your fellow human beings. Observing other people and how they interact with one another is interesting in itself, and in crowds of a hundred you can at least get a good feel for the type of "neighbors" you're living with. I also agree it also makes the day feel less lonely when you simply see people simply shop around or walk by you.

On the other hand, the bad thing is that you almost have no control over a crowd. You wouldn't believe what 45 minutes of waiting in a stuffy corner of a Black Angus can do to you: You're with 20-30 other people near the entrance of the restaurant waiting for a table, while at the same time you try your best to reserve inches between people walking through the door and fighting for an empty chair to sit on by the register. And in a packed restaurant, it's so noisy you can barely hear your name being called for a table.

Suffice to say I stood most of the time, but in the end avoiding that kind of stuffiness really made the dinner for three more enjoyable.

[Debitt]

Medium. I can navigate crowds easily because I'm small, but I hate the body heat, and I'm always slightly uncomfortable around other people. How uncomfortable I get can depend on the situation, though. For example, I'm worse off in a busy shopping mall or airport, while I'm slightly less phobic at a convention or a concert.

[rii namuras]

(It depends. If they're quiet, I'm perfectly fine. But as soon as too many people start talking... O_o gah...)

(Too many voices around me gives me a headache. Therefore I try to find the quietest spot or just put in some headphones.)

[Stiletto]

(Too many voices around me gives me a headache. Therefore I try to find the quietest spot or just put in some headphones.)

Yeah, those "noise-canceling" headphones should do the trick.

[mitsuki lover]

All I want is a nice quiet corner.But everywhere I go more and more people keep moving in,where we used to live in Idaho used to be a nice quiet small town but now is one of those strip cities you see too often growing up all across the country.
Same,same,darnable sameness.
At times like these I wish we had never left Minnesota.

[AnubisWerewolf]

Crowds used to bother me when I was younger. But now that i'm older I can cut through even the roughest thickest crowds. Its fun getting a whole group through a massive crowd. "Ok everyone hold hands because if you get seperated your gonna be gone forever!" Fun times!

[Fish and Chips]

Low tolerance. I'd better know some of those people before I get to stabbing.

[Cognitive Gear]

High Tolerance. I'm thin, so they are easy to navigate. Also, I live in Orange County; so I've grown up around large crowds of people. I don't really care that I don't know anyone. I leave them alone, and they leave me alone while looking at me like I'm some kind of weirdo. Which I am, but that's besides the point.

[Cap'n Nick]

I'm not a big fan of them. Rock concerts, especially, are something that I've never gotten into. Not only do I have to stand there through all of the filler tracks, I've got to put up with the amateur sound supplement people always insist upon putting in at these affairs.

[wingedfox]

low tolerance. i flip out in big crowds it' sooooo close. i go down to NYC once in a while and it's so crazy. your walking down the sidewalk and one wrong step and your tripping over the person next to you and it's the damino effect 10 feet around you. plus it's gross in really heavy crowds when you get someone else sweat on you >-< BLECH!!!

[bigsleepj]

I don't have a problem with huge crowds, unless they're rioting and running in panic in my general direction.

[mitsuki lover]

I always think of that episode of Star Trek where Kirk is on that planet that is literally wall to wall people.Ugh!

[Azier the Swordsman]

I've worked in retail for quite a while now, so I tend to feel comfortable in big crowds.

[Yahshua]

I have medium to low Crowd Tolerance I need my space Prefer 12 inches from everyone else.

[Kkun]

Crowds are no big deal to me, especially because I go to a lot of concerts.

[mitsuki lover]

I am used to country life now so that I actually perfer a lot of space to a lot of people.

[Evangeline-San]

I'd have to go with Medium Tolerence.
I live in a pretty rual area, so crowds aren't really an issue. But I deal with them occansionally, and don't mind so much.
I'm never worried about what people will think of me... I like freakin' people out actually, so if they notice me, and for some reason I can turn their head, cool. XD heh

[Ichigo_89]

Crowds are no big deal to me, especially because I go to a lot of concerts.

Ditto. Unless it involves alot of B.O., cuz then I'm movin out of there

[samuraidragon]

I don't have a problem with huge crowds, unless they're rioting and running in panic in my general direction.

XD Same here. I don't really have any sort of issue with people. I mean, I might go to a mall and see it's packed and then leave, but that's more the fact I know I'm not going to get anything accomplished with tons of people rather then not wanting to be around the people.

[mitsuki lover]

They have rural areas in SoCal?

[HisaishiFan]

I don't like crowds because I'm short and people walk into me because they don't see me. Sometimes, I get lifted up if the crowd is too tightly packed. Bleh.

[FarmGirl]

My reaction to crowds is a bit difficult to describe.
Claustrophobia is not a problem for me, but crowds still make me uncomfortable. I can tolerate them, but strongly prefer open space. When in a crowd, my gaze rarely leaves the ground and I become quite wary of being nudged or nudging. It's very unnerving, but for no real reason.