Here’s what has New Yorkers more stressed than the rest, according to a Senior Director at the American Psychological Association
It’s no secret that New York can be a stressful place to live.
The noise, high cost of living and proximity to people can all 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 cost of basic necessities, combined with wages that don’t rise to meet them, is putting increasing pressure on the average person in one of the most expensive cities in the US.
Crowds in public spaces can be a source of stress for some people. For the 3.2 million people who ride the subway every day, the 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, home to more than 8.3 million people.
“Given that New York City has a very high cost of living, it is likely that money, inflation and the rising cost of living may be of particular concern to New Yorkers,” Dr. Wright told 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 factors have become stressors for more and more people over the past five years.
More adults ages 35 to 44 in New York City rated the economy, family responsibilities and personal safety as stressors as stressors in 2023 than in 2019, according to the APA’s 2023 Stressors in America survey.
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 country.
In November, researchers found that Americans needed $11,400 more per year to enjoy the same quality of life as they did two years earlier.
Inflation is therefore a source of stress nationally.
Similarly, 59 percent of New Yorkers say family responsibilities were a major source of stress in 2019.
In 2023, 71 percent endorsed this statement.
Personal safety increased slightly 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 US.
For example, while 49 percent of Americans saw 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 New York City subways, a move that Governor Kathy Hochul acknowledged was more about making people feel safe and less about an actual increase in crime.
Similarly, 60 percent of New Yorkers cited job stability as a source of stress, compared to the national average of 49 percent.
It’s not just the busy environment that makes people feel this way. New York City is indeed 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. It’s not just money, though.
Crowds in public spaces can be a source of stress for some people.
For the 3.2 million people who ride the subway every day, the lack of personal space can contribute to feelings of stress.
A 2024 survey from the U.S. Department of Energy found that New Yorkers have this longest average travel time in the country: 33.2 minutes.
However, this is an average, and some people can commute up to two hours from the suburbs to their workplace in Manhattan.
That said, New York City is known for its public spaces – which anyone can enter for free. Public parks, playgrounds and squares offer some breathing space to de-stress.
And research supports this.
City parks make people feel less stressed and more connected, according to a study from March this year.
“Our findings showed that spending time in city parks provides significant benefits, particularly improving stress management skills and increasing community connection,” the study authors wrote.
“Specifically, park users’ perceptions of restorative effects were associated with greater levels of community connectedness,” she 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.
So being with other people is not just a stressor – it can also be a source of connection.
These researchers found that for people who don’t feel restored in city parks, their ability to cope with stress can 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 New Yorkers’ minds.
Even as crime has fallen year on year, people are still concerned, research shows.
Last year, a survey found that 87 percent of New Yorkers considered crime a serious problem and that 61 percent were concerned about becoming a victim themselves
But there were fewer cases of murder, burglary, grand larceny and motor vehicle theft in March 2024 than in March 2023, according to the city’s crime statistics.
The total number of crimes has also decreased by 5 percent compared to last year. NYPD Statistics from the first quarter of 2024.
So yes, New York is a particularly stressful place for residents to live, and a lot of that comes down to money, but most Americans are feeling the inflation, too.