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The Noise and Pollution of a City Could Impact Your Mental Health

City living may have a bigger impact on your mental health than you think. Find out how to best care for yourself.

ByBrittany Edelmann
Credit: Volodymyr TVERDOKHLIB/Shutterstock

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Living in a city is different from our how our ancestors lived, who were in a more nature-filled environment. Only 3 percent of the world’s population lived in cities back in 1800, compared to over 50 percent today. As researchers of a 2019 study published in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine state, our attention system was “designed for interacting with nature.”

There’s no doubt there are pros and cons to city living. You step outside, and you’re closer to shops and entertainment, but there’s also an abundance of people, cars, lights, noise, and buildings.

Whether by choice or not, by 2050, it’s estimated about 70 percent of the world’s population will be living in cities. If this is the case, the abundance of city living is about to get even louder. So, does city living impact your mental health and what can be done about it?

(Credit: Christian ...

  • Brittany Edelmann

    Brittany Edelmann is a registered nurse who completed a master’s degree in journalism with a specialization in health and science at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. She has written for Discover, Chicago Health, Chicago Caregiving, The Sun-Sentinel, and Medill Reports, as well as The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

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