Why would better neighborhoods increase mental health?

Question

Older men living in neighborhoods with sidewalks, and with restaurants and other such destinations within walking distance, may be less prone to depression than are men from areas characterized by “suburban sprawl,” according to an April article in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Researchers at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., studied 740 older adults in the Seattle area and found that men living in the more pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods seemed to have fewer symptoms of depression than did their peers in neighborhoods that were not as easy to navigate on foot. The findings did not seem to apply to women, the researchers said – possibly because women tend to have more social support than men, which helps prevent depression, and possibly because women are more likely to seek treatment, rendering them less vulnerable than men are to environmental factors that exacerbate depression.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL36869320070503

I hate to say this and spoil the good answers, but the truth is that people want to stay in their own homes and they have the right to do that. Those living in the country need supports, not to lose their homes, they need friends and allies that will be there for them, not to have to move. I don't see this as a positive way to go. What is needed is more of what they need and what they ask for, not more being pushed on them against their will. They need a friend to take them or go to the store or go and visit them at times and things like that, not to move into a city. Since most of them retired to the country from the city after they worked in a city all their lives what do you think they really want and the ones that stayed their love that land. Don't make them give up their hopes and dreams find ways to treat them better and make them happy in that way that is what I think. It is more peaceful in the country, just maybe a little harder to get the assistance one might ask for.

Answer 1

When people get older, they tend to stop driving because their sight/hearing may deteriorate, and much of their exercise comes from walking since it's very low-impact. Imagine if you lived somewhere where you could buy groceries, go see a movie, and watch children play in a park just by taking a short walk outside every day. You don't have to sit around worrying about when you will be able to go to the store or suddenly having to go to the bathroom while walking on a long stretch of suburban sprawl.

Worrying about this stuff can certainly induce depression and make someone feel trapped.

Answer 2

I believe that it has more to do with the basic survival instinct. Fight or flight, be predator or prey. An innate sensibility that is a part of the "hunter-gatherer" predisposition of a man. Especially since it affects men more so than women.
Living in an area that you don't feel safe in means that you unconsciously will be wary of your surroundings at all times. It may be that the man has no conscious knowledge of what is happening. A constant struggle without any way to justify the feelings, but that wouldn't make it any less real.
We have all been to places where we do not feel at ease, and we are glad to leave. Now, just suppose that place is where you live.
Do you see how it could lead to unexplained depression? The need to protect is a huge part of the genetic makeup of a man. Living under those circumstances would take a toll on any of us.

Answer 3

This makes perfect sense to me. If men can walk around, socialize and feel independent why wouldn't their outlook be more positive? It seems like a low stress environment too.

Answer 4

That's interesting, but not too surprising. I wish urban developers would read the article you cite so that they quit building those suburbia hell neighborhoods.

Answer 5

Definitely!!!

Answer 6

yes