By 212Access
Do you live in New York City? Do you think you’re going crazy? You just might be according to a new study conducted by the researchers in Germany.
Social scientists with the University of Heidelberg Medical Faculty discovered the brain functions differently between those who live in the City versus those live in the suburbs.
As part of their study, researchers scanned the brains of suburbanites and city residents. They concluded that city people handled stress in a more negative way and were more emotional when put into stressful situations. They also discovered people who live in small towns handle stress better than people who live in large cities. Topping that, Schizophrenia was twice as common among those who live in the city.
How much did they spend on this study? I could have told them that for the cost of a round-trip bus ticket from New Jersey to New York. I can feel my blood pressure percolate before my bus even pulls into Port Authority.
The crazies are all over 8th Avenue. Cramming into a crowded train, rushing to make the light, dodging dazed tourists, paying $8 for a chicken sandwich; it’s enough to stress out even the Pontiff.
But the authors of the study say this is a big deal because it might help improve the quality of life in large cities, like New York by making residents aware of each other.
Everyone moves to New York City with big dreams, and on the surface, Manhattan does offer unique opportunities, mental and physical stimulation, 24-hour entertainment and conversation you won’t hear in any small towns.
But is it worth my sanity? Elvis Presley always said he’d rather be angry than bored. Of course, we all know how that story ended.
Perhaps the suburbs and my 45-minute commute into the city don’t seem so bad after all.
In the mood for more-depth? Click here to read the actual study published in the Science Journal, Nature.
