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The Links Between City Living And Better Health

29th Oct 2020

The prevailing wisdom for much of modern history has been that living in a city is bad for your health. Because why would you choose to live in such a crowded, noisy and polluted urban area when you can help space and peace and quiet out in the suburbs? While there are definitely positives to the suburban lifestyle, it might not be as healthy as you have been led to believe.

A study by the University of Oxford and the University of Hong Kong found that rates of obesity were lower in places where population is denser i.e. cities, compared to their lower density counterparts in the suburbs. In addition, the higher density folks had higher levels of socializing with others than those in the suburbs.

Based on these findings, the impact of urban living on overall health should be easy to determine. City dwellers typically walk more because everything they need is close to them. This results in lower obesity rates than in suburban and rural areas where sprawl forces most people to drive everywhere. Plus, being surrounded by others means city people spend more time socializing. That can have significant mental health benefits.

City living also provides more freedom and a liberal attitude towards a lot of issues. Studies have shown that medical marijuana is positively used by city folks in managing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. It can also be a safer alternative to traditional prescription drugs, which can have harmful side effects.

In metro cities of states like Arizona, for instance, individuals who qualify can obtain a medical marijuana card, which allows them to legally access medical marijuana for therapeutic use. To maintain legal access to medical marijuana, individuals have to undergo a periodic Arizona medical card renewal, which indicates that the process is well regulated.

Overall, this study concludes, living in urban areas isn’t as harmful to one’s well-being as the consensus seems to believe. There are many reasons why humans have chosen to live so close to one another throughout history. Even though technology has made it possible for us to live farther apart, that distance may be damaging to our health. For more details about how living in a city can mean a healthier lifestyle, see the charts on the accompanying guide.

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