According to an article by The Scientist, people who live in densely populated cities are more likely to feel lonely. Do you think living in big cities can cause loneliness?
We’ve taken a look at some of our data to see if this could be a reason why people may be looking for properties outside of a large city.
We’ve also included some tips to try and look out for when choosing somewhere to live that may make you feel less isolated.
Isolation in big cities
You would have thought that if there were more people in an area, this would decrease loneliness but according to this study it is the opposite. This could be because communities are bigger and not as tight knit. It could also be because it is a more corporate environment in these big cities and so community work (farming, small businesses etc) is less common.
If you are wanting to live in a more social area, you could look for community buildings and flats or you could even research areas that have a good social life and setting. This would make finding friends easier and help combat loneliness, especially in a new city.
This study may also reflect that there are more people living in these large cities, so the sample size is larger and there are more people in numbers feeling lonely.
How can you combat loneliness in large cities?
If you are an older person (over 55) you may want to consider moving into a scheme with likeminded people. This could be a retirement community or even just over 55 properties. This may combat loneliness.
Our data of over 55 searches showed that Milton Keynes was in the top 3 for retirement searches on our site. The top two were London and Manchester. As another big city is not third, it is Milton Keynes instead, does this support the study?
Many people may find big cities more lonely because of the sheer fact that they do not know anyone. For example, London is the dream for many people who are wanting to move away from home. However, moving away from home can lead people to feel isolated at first as they do not know anyone.
If you are finding it hard to meet people you could find local groups of people who have similar interests and start there. This may be walking groups etc.
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes is the largest city in Buckinghamshire with a population of around 248,000. It has the UK’s fifth highest number of business startups per capita, which is maybe a reason for the popularity of living here.
Milton Keynes was built as part of the generation of ‘new towns’ in the south east of England. These towns were built to lift some of the congestion from London. This could therefore explain the popularity of the area even today.
Another reason Milton Keynes is so popular is because of the great transport links. You can be in London via Milton Keynes Central station in just 30 minutes. It is located alongside the M1 and A5 creating easy access to a lot of areas.
Search for properties in Milton Keynes
Would you choose to live outside a big city if it meant that you were less lonely?
