Why Country Living Might Be More Stressful Than Urban Life

Despite what old Aesop may have thought, it turns out you don't really need a bucolic setting in order to make peace with the world. HuffPost spoke to a New York City minister who told them that cities offer a wider range of spiritual offerings, not to mention far more diversity than you're likely to find in a rural area. 

Speaking of her own congregation, Rev. Winnie Varghese of St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery stated, "Every kind of person you can imagine is represented on Sunday morning." She also noted that her congregation is inclusive of people regardless of gender orientation (something that may unfortunately be less likely in some small rural parishes).

Even if you're not a churchgoer, you can still feed your soul with all of the amazing art and architecture on display in most major urban areas. You can also improve both your mental and physical health by getting more exercise. When you live way out in the sticks, you might have to travel half a mile or more just to get down the driveway, and jobs, schools, and other activities may be many miles away. Cities, on the other foot, tend to be far more walkable, which is one of the reasons the Lancet study put forth to explain why urban residents tend to be healthier than their rural cousins. Plus, having ready access to high-quality healthcare sure doesn't hurt, either.