‘Some speculate about the potential role of stress. It is widely believed that life in New York is more difficult, and stress has been linked to higher heart disease mortality. A 1999 study showed that people were more likely to die of a heart attack in New York City than elsewhere. The authors suggested stress could play a role because the excess death rate affected both visitors and residents; they found no other explanation.

“There’s an acute effect of being in New York,” said Nicholas Christenfeld, a psychologist at the University of California at San Diego who did the study. “You’re wired the whole time.” But stress is difficult to measure, and there is no proof that life is more stressful in and around New York, despite the popular notions.

There is also a growing volume of research showing that heart disease death rates are higher in places with big gaps between the rich and the poor. Metropolitan areas with less income inequality – Seattle, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City – have lower heart disease death rates. New York’s metropolitan area ranks at the top in income inequality.

“There’s something about inequality in communities that affects all residents, not just the poor,” Dr. Strogatz said. But the studies, while tantalizing, have not yet explained why there is a connection. Are there psychological issues that increase stress in places with unequal income distribution? Are there fewer services available to the poor in places with more income inequality? The answers are not clear.’ (New York Times )