A study by the Center for Urban Mental Health at the University of Amsterdam found that urban living is linked to lower well-being, social satisfaction, and economic satisfaction in a sample of 156,000 UK residents aged 40 and up. Urban dwellers also show greater psychological inequality. The study highlights a “Goldilocks zone” between cities and rural areas, where satisfaction and equality are highest.
The percentage of people living in cities has skyrocketed from 10% in the 1910s to a projected 68% by 2050. Cities, with their numerous social and economic opportunities, increasingly shape our psychological lives, making it crucial to understand urban well-being.
Popular places
The researchers examined whether the popularity of cities is justified from a psychological perspective. Do economic opportunities translate into higher economic satisfaction? Does the wealth of people lead to social satisfaction? Do urban residents have higher well-being than those in rural areas?
Using data from the UK Biobank, the study compared urban and rural areas with samples ranging from 40,000 to 156,000 individuals aged 40 to 70. A novel measure of urbanicity, based on the distance from city centers, was used to define urban, suburban, peri-urban, and rural areas. This measure considers the difference between living 15 km from London versus 15 km from Leeds.
The study found that while urban residents have the highest incomes, this does not lead to psychological benefits. In fact, those in highly urban areas score worse on all eight measures of well-being, social satisfaction, and economic satisfaction. The researchers term this the ‘urban desirability paradox,’ noting the disconnect between the popularity of cities and the psychological state of their residents.
“Areas near cities but beyond their boundaries, the hinterlands, show the highest and most equal levels of psychological satisfaction,” the authors conclude.
“These optimal distances might result from happy individuals moving there rather than the locations themselves enhancing individual well-being. Thus, our findings do not imply that anyone will benefit psychologically from moving to these areas.”
