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Is there happiness in greenery? "Naturally," nature lovers will insist. Even proud city dwellers long for weekends away from their so-called concrete jungle. And now, studies back the idea that living in the city negatively impacts the way we handle social stress and generally make us more vulnerable to unhappiness. But, there are solutions, and they don't have to involve surrendering to suburbia. Researchers at the University of Exeter Medical School studied the mental health of 1,000 British people over the course of six years and examined the correlation between where they lived and their level of happiness. They found that those who lived near a "natural space" in an urban environment experienced "significantly better" mental health up to three years after they moved.
"Unlike many other changes in life circumstances, where effects on mental health can be short-lived, moving to a greener urban area was associated with sustained mental-health gains," the researchers wrote in the American Chemical Society's Environmental Science & Technology journal. Long story short: If you want to be happy but aren't ready to retire to a cabin in the woods just yet, consider living near a park or planting a garden. Or, if nothing else, just get a houseplant. (Co.Design)
Wrapping up his recent TED Talk, Johann Hari gets particularly candid with his audience: "It's hard loving an addict." But he goes on to argue that love could be what leads to recovery. Hari seeks to turn the mainstream view of drug addiction on its head, advocating for empathy and connection, rather than stigmatization read
Verna Serra, DVM, has been working in emergency veterinarian medicine for several years now, and she specifically covers the overnight shift — you know, when emergencies tend to happen. She seems like the last person whose job has any room for laughs, right? We're well aware that working with animals can be deeply read
Photo: Rex USA.
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