It’s no secret that New York can be a stressful place to live.
Noise, high cost of living, and limited space can contribute to people’s overall feelings of stress.
Now, clinical psychologist Dr. C. Vaile Wright, senior director of healthcare innovation at the American Psychological Association (APA), has revealed that the answer comes down to one perennial factor: money.
The rising costs of basic necessities, combined with wages that are not rising to cover them, are putting increasing pressure on the average person in one of the most expensive cities in America.
Crowding in public spaces can be a source of stress for some people. For the 3.2 million people who ride the subway each day, a lack of personal space can contribute to feelings of stress.
It can be difficult to find a moment of peace and quiet in New York City, which is home to more than 8.3 million people.
“Given that New York City has a very high cost of living, money, inflation and the rising cost of living are likely to be of particular concern to New Yorkers,” said Dr. Wright. said Fox 5.
The APA has not yet collected data for 2024.
But the professional organization knows that for most Americans, money and the economy are major sources of stress.
And both of these factors have become stressors for more people in the last five years.
More adults ages 35 to 44 in New York City rated the economy, family responsibilities, and personal safety as stressors in 2023 than in 2019, according to APA 2023 Stressors in America survey data.
In 2019, 51 percent said the economy was a stressor, but in 2023 that number increased to 74 percent.
New Yorkers share these sources of stress with the rest of the nation.
In November, researchers found that Americans needed $11,400 more a year to enjoy the same quality of life they had just two years earlier.
Therefore, inflation is a source of stress throughout the country.
Similarly, 59 percent of New Yorkers reported that family responsibilities were a major source of stress in 2019.
In 2023, 71 percent backed that statement.
Personal security increased a little less, but still increased: from 36 percent in 2019 to 49 percent in 2023.
New York City residents also have unique sources of stress compared to people in the rest of the United States.
For example, while 49 percent of Americans ranked housing costs as a major source of stress in 2023, 66 percent of New Yorkers said the same.
The American Psychological Association surveyed New Yorkers about their biggest sources of stress in 2023 and compared the results to 2019.
The National Guard has been deployed to the New York City subways, a move that Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged had more to do with making people feel safe and less to do with an actual increase in crime.
Similarly, 60 percent of New Yorkers cited job security as a source of stress, compared to the national average of 49 percent.
It’s not just the busy environment that makes people feel that way. In fact, New York City is more expensive than most of the rest of the country.
Rents are about 236 percent higher than the national average, and goods and services are about 19 percent more expensive. But it’s not just money.
Crowding in public spaces can be a source of stress for some people.
For the 3.2 million people who ride the subway each day, a lack of personal space can contribute to feelings of stress.
A 2024 study from the U.S. Department of Energy found that New Yorkers have the longest average travel time in the country: 33.2 minutes.
However, this is an average and some people can travel up to two hours from the outer boroughs to their workplaces in Manhattan.
That said, New York City is famous for its public spaces, which anyone can access for free. Public parks, playgrounds and plazas provide respite to de-stress.
And research backs this up.
Urban parks help people feel less stressed and more connected, study says study since March of this year.
“Our findings revealed that spending time in urban parks offers important benefits, particularly improving stress management capacity and community attachment,” the study authors wrote.
“In particular, park users’ perception of restorative effects was associated with higher levels of community attachment,” they added.
New York City has 28,000 acres of public parks and 14 miles of public beaches. Research shows that urban parks are sources of stress relief and social connection.
An aerial view shows Central Park, an 843-acre public park in the heart of Manhattan. It is surrounded by dense residential and commercial buildings.
Therefore, being around other people is not only a stressor: it can also be a source of connection.
These researchers found that for people who do not feel recovered in urban parks, their ability to manage stress may be negatively affected.
New York City has 28,000 acres of public parks and 14 miles of public beaches.
In recent years, crime has topped the list of stressors weighing on the minds of New Yorkers.
Although crime has decreased year on year, people are still worried, research shows.
Last year, a survey found that 87 percent of New Yorkers thought crime was a serious problem and 61 percent were worried about becoming victims themselves.
But according to city crime statistics, there were fewer incidents of murder, robbery, grand larceny and motor vehicle theft in March 2024 compared to March 2023.
The total number of crimes also fell 5 percent compared to last year. NYPD Statistics of the first quarter of 2024 showed.
So yes, New York is a uniquely stressful place to live for residents, and much of that is due to money, but most Americans are also feeling the impact of inflation.
