> I wouldn't be surprised if the small amounts of extra stress of day to day life in a more densely populated area isn't good for you. Extra psychological stre

> I wouldn't be surprised if the small amounts of extra stress of day to day life in a more densely populated area isn't good for you. Extra psychological stress is always detrimental. They did mention other variables, including noise and other gasses, were not controlled for. However, the mouse study removed those variables: > He exposed mice to high levels of fine particulate air pollution five times a week, eight hours a day, to mimic the exposure a human commuter might receive if he or she lived in the suburbs and worked in a smoggy city (Molecular Psychiatry, 2011). After 10 months, they found that the mice that had been exposed to polluted air took longer to learn a maze task and made more mistakes than mice that had not breathed in the pollution. > > Nelson also found that the pollutant-exposed mice showed signs of the rodent equivalent of depression. Mice said to express depressive-like symptoms give up swimming more quickly in a forced swim test and stop sipping sugar water that they normally find attractive. Both behaviors can be reversed with antidepressants. Nelson found that mice exposed to the polluted air scored higher on tests of depressive-like responses. I suggest reading the article. There were other disturbing changes that strongly suggest pollution may be the modern analogue to the Roman Empire's lead paint. It's definitely worth significant and rapid research investment.