To think that city dwellers are more stressed and angry?

[ChesterMcLee]

Just that really...
I live in the suburbs of a large city, and am seriously considering moving to somewhere more rural.
As an example, yesterday myself and my partner went for a walk in a large city park with woodland paths. An elderly couple were walking their dog off lead, this is allowed and the dog was behaving itself. A runner went belting past them and shouted at them in a really aggressive manner to "put their f***g dog on a lead" the dog was nowhere near him, and the couple were visibly shaken.
On the drive home, there were 3 cars having fun and games racing each other on the dual carriage way, which seems to be a regular occurrence now.
I might sound wishy washy, but things like that make me sad, and it spoilt my day.
Am I being unreasonable to feel this way?

YABU. There are stressed angry people everywhere.

Can't say about it being City folk

But there are knob heads everywhere

DH and I had this conversation recently.
Im really starting to think humans aren’t the social creatures we all like to think we are.
There is so much rage about, a lot of people seem angry, people being unkind, pressures being put on each other, warring families, warring neighbours, road rage etc.
As people tend to live further apart in the country, I also am starting to think that’s the better option for most people!

Yeah, I'm living between dublin and London temporarily and the difference is so grim. Londoners are so tightly wound. Dublin is a tiny city and much less crowded. People are more patient and chilled.

I grew up in the city and now live in the countryside. The main difference I have noticed is that citylife goes faster - so for example there is more roadrage, beeping of car horns, sirens etc -so it feels more fast paced and 'angry'.

In the country, it's obviously a lot slower, but people MOAN. Oh, the moaning drives me mental. They'll moan about bins, dogs on leads, dogs off leads, dog poo, kids in the street, kids not playing out, random vans/cars driving around, tractors, church bells... the list goes on and on. I had to mute the village FB group as it made me feel ragey. The irony is not lost on me...

I think people who live more rurally just get stressed and angry about different things to city dwellers.

Plus, the level of stress and anger people think it's ok to show to others, is more about them and their personality.

Some people think it's ok to react like a dickhead in public and some don't 🤷‍♂️

@DottyDodger
That's made me proper lol 😂
It's good to hear a different perspective.

There's just more people. And less space.
I used to go to stay in rural Wales as a kid, me and my mates would roam about all day in the forest, the fields, by the river. You never ever saw a single soul. Except once, in five years, a very angry irate farmer approached us carrying a shotgun with some iteration of 'get orrff my laaand!' we were terrified and legged it.

So angry people are everywhere!

I think it is to do with crowds, it is easier to be anonymous, and when you feel anonymous you can often get away with not making an effort to be courteous or nice. Mass transit systems would make a saint stressed and grumpy.

However, I have lived in London and frequently visited since and found that when you dealt with people on an individual basis there wasn't that much difference. I've even successfully struck up nice conversations on busy tube trains. I imagine there were probably a few Mumsnetters cringing in the corner behind me though! Apparently striking up a conversation with a stranger is akin to stealing their first born.

I agree with you OP.

I lived in London for 25 years and moved to a small seaside town two years ago.

The difference in behaviour is very noticeable. People are much more relaxed and polite where I now live.

Probably has a lot to do with cities being so overcrowded, noisy and stressful...

London is London. It’s really not comparable to any other city in the UK.

Agree with DottyDodgee. I lived in a small village in a very rural area for several years and whilst tensions there may have been less immediate, they were worse. Yes, the moaning; the little grudges which had been held for years; the rumour mills and whispering behind the backs of somebody who wasn’t liked; petty miseries; anger and complaints over really inconsequential trivia which people couldn’t get over. One of our neighbours actually ended up moving away because of a vendetta from another parent in the PTA at the village school was affecting her children’s education.

I live in London now and it’s great. It might be loud and people might be sharp about things sometimes, but at least it’s transparent and immediate.

All I can say is that having spent my twenties in a busy northern working class city, and having moved to a semi-rural area in my thirties, I worry about a lot less things, and it’s quieter. There are some things I miss about city living, but semi-rural trumps city now we have children especially. I don’t worry about my safety anymore for one.