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To many people, Germany means a strong economy, high environmental standards, and a stable democracy. All that means quality of life. But Germany is changing, and is showing new sides of itself. A good place to observe these changes is Berlin. Berlin.

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                                     Stress and Urban Life 

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                                     Stress and Urban Life 

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We live in a stress-filled world. In recent years we have begun to understand the tremendous costs of stress. These include rampant addictive behaviors, broken marriages, lowered job productivity, illness and soaring medical expenses, senseless violence, widespread depression, and emotional breakdown. People spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year on entertainment, recreation, biofeedback, therapists, drugs, vitamins, seminars, and books in their search for relief from stress.

Stress is not unique to city life but is magnified by it. City dwellers must wrestle with the special stressors of stimulus overload, constant change, crowding, noise, pollution, unpredictable transportation, cultural differences, homelessness, and drug infestation. Every day brings multiple demands into the urban dweller's life that require processing and adjustment. The sheer volume of information that greets a city dweller each day in the form of television, newspapers, magazines, leaflets, posters, and work materials creates stress. The need to be aware of and interact with large numbers of people, many of whom are different from oneself and some of whom are potentially threatening, brings significant stress to most city dwellers. People are often unaware that these realities are causing underlying stress in their lives.

At the same time, anonymity, isolation, and loneliness plague the lives of millions, bringing intense inner turmoil. Values that promote competitiveness and mistrust in the workplace, together with an almost desperate pursuit of wealth, comfort, luxury, and status, put many urban dwellers into a daily emotional drag race.