ABSTRACT
As a social species, Homo sapiens consider others by default. This consideration ranges from our language and non-verbal communication capacities, to our automatic and instrumental tendencies towards politeness, tact and humour. It is encapsulated in concepts and skills such as empathy, ‘theory of mind’ co-operation and altruism. These fundamental socio-cognitive attributes have been captured by the umbrella term – ‘prosocial’. This ‘default’ social self is not invariable however. Difficulties with social cognition characterise several mental health difficulties, neurodevelopmental disorders and acquired disorders. For those who do not share the default social self, life is invariably lonely because the ‘meeting of minds’ is the basis of social and cultural interaction.
Since the 1930s, social science and epidemiology has recorded the fact that mental ill-health features more prominently in urban compared to rural settings. This so-called urbanicity effect is amongst the most robust findings of the 'wider determinants' literature. Additionally, evidence shows that urban areas challenge our prosocial tendencies, making them more difficult to establish and maintain. Finer-grained analyses indicate that ‘social capital’ and the perceived predictability of resources determine our prosocial patterns. Thus cities can be lonely places, particularly for the vulnerable.
In this chapter, we will examine theories and evidence that link characteristics of the living environment to well-being and mental health. We will explore individual differences in psychological response to ‘place’, concluding with a discussion of how changes in practice and policymaking can produce physical infrastructure and form for the 'common good' by reducing distress, isolation and loneliness.
