Stimulating environments lengthen lives

Much as I am a booster of the urban life and form, I must admit that I'm rather shocked that an exciting environment, such as can be found in a city, has far-reaching health consequences. Scientists have recently discovered in laboratory mice, when injected with cancerous cells, have a marked difference in response based on their environments. The mice that were raised in a "a complex environment providing social interactions, opportunities to learn and increased physical activity" had tumors almost 80 percent smaller than mice who did not have an enriched environment. Moreover, the interesting environment had a more significant impact on tumor growth than simply a greater amount of exercise.