Research shows that people in rural areas have different connections in the brain than people in cities. This does not mean that one group is smarter or dumber than the other, but rather that they possibly think differently and pay attention to different things. It could just be that rural people pick up sounds better than urban people who have learned to filter.
In this article, I want to focus on what you can learn from rural people (yes there will be 1 from the city, too).
The countryside is an area where villages are the core of society and where social control can sometimes still play a major role, but of course that also depends on how much you care about that. There are many shrinking areas in the Netherlands and rural areas often do not have an abundance of jobs either. Still, there are people who do not leave and hold on to their countryside.
English research shows that people living in the English countryside are happier and have more optimism than English people living in the city(1). Since the Netherlands and England are similar countries, these results may be the same in the Netherlands.
There are several reasons given for feeling happier namely:
- It is cheaper to live in the country.
- There is less crime in rural areas.
- They are more optimistic for the environment.
However, there are drawbacks to rural areas, which may also explain why rural areas are shrinking. Travel, for example, is more expensive or more difficult in rural areas because you often need a car to get somewhere on time. Education is not always good in rural areas because there is less supply than in cities.
In doing so, all the entertainment is further away. In many villages there is not even a supermarket, so you have to consider what happens when you want to do something fun. For almost everything, you have to take the car or brave the weather on a bike for more than 30 minutes.
Don't give up
This shows right away the first point that you can learn from real country people. Not giving up is very important for survival in the countryside. If you have a job you want to keep it because it is not easy to find a new job. The number of fast food restaurants are scarce so even that easy job for minimum wage is not something you can count on.
To achieve your dreams, it is important to be persistent, as the number of opportunities is smaller than in the city. Also when it comes to being entertained.
Doing something for someone else
In rural areas, some things are less well regulated, such as public transportation. There are places in the Netherlands where the bus only runs once every hour. This has created alternatives where people help each other. For example by carpooling or to give the other person an elevator if that person has no car and has just missed the bus.
Communication Skills
Rural areas have less entertainment available than urban areas. This also makes you more dependent on each other to entertain each other. Making a play date is not a matter of walking 500 meters. It is sometimes a matter of biking miles to the neighboring village or convincing your parents to take a car ride because it is raining cats and dogs. So it may take more persuasion to get something done together.
In addition, in rural areas it is still very common to greet each other on the street and have smalltalk if you happen to be waiting for the bus together. Because friends are not to be found everywhere, it is also important to keep relationships good and the atmosphere in a group positive.
Because everyone knows everyone.
Being able to do something with criticism
Because everyone knows everyone, there is sometimes social control in the countryside. People try to influence you by telling you that something is not or is okay. This allows you to either build a shield against criticism so it affects you less, or learn techniques to deal with it.
Then, of course, it's important not to put yourself in that social straitjacket to the point of unhappiness. But people in rural areas teach themselves to handle criticism well by doing so. Either by ignoring unhelpful criticism or by learning something from the criticism.
Calming Nature
Research in 2011(2) found that growing up in the city causes you to handle stress differently than people who grew up in the countryside. As a result, people living in cities are more likely to experience mental health problems than those living in rural areas. The study spoke of a city when a city had more than 100,000 inhabitants. So for most larger cities in the Netherlands, the results may apply to residents.
According to researchers, this is because of all the greenery in the countryside. Greenery encourages physical activity. For example, you can garden or play soccer on a patch of grass.
Fortunately, there are parks in most Dutch cities where you can do that kind of thing, too. All that matters is that you actually go there to do some fun stuff in nature.
Visiting a petting zoo or forest can also be incredibly helpful in calming down and exercising.
Dealing with a life without distractions
There is a lot going on in the city, but that also means there are a lot of distractions. This sometimes makes it difficult to reflect on what you actually want to do. Whereas in the countryside this can sometimes just happen because your phone is out of range, in the city you can look for this in a focused way.
For example, by meditating every day and temporarily shutting out distractions, it is possible to reflect on your life and then live your life the way you want and not the way distractions want.
For example, you can start each day with 10 minutes of meditation. That meditation calms you down and allows thoughts and impressions to pass without acting on them directly.
In your bed, on the couch or your favorite chair and even a yoga mat are good places to meditate. You can meditate sitting down and lying down. What is important when you start meditating is to be with your attention on your breathing.
When a thought arises just focus back on breathing.
Another way to calm down that way is by using yoga. This is very similar to meditation in that it too focuses on breathing. However, if you are easily distracted, the poses of yoga can help keep you focused.
Enjoying the impressions around you
Precisely because there are not many impressions in the countryside, it is quite normal for people in rural areas to take in impressions. Smells, colors, sounds and movements. If you were to do this every day in the city you might get a little crazy, because there is a lot happening.
But if you do go to the park, go there very intentionally. For example, you can follow mindfulness meditation during such a visit. What is important then is that whatever you are doing, that you do it very consciously. You are aware of the movements you make, the things you see and what you smell. All your senses cause you to live in the here and now.
If you find that you do get distracted by a thought of what else you are going to do that day focus back on your breathing and your senses to be in the here and now again. This allows you to better enjoy the impressions around you.
As you can see, living in the country has advantages and disadvantages just as living in the city has advantages and disadvantages. For people who live in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, it is important to see greenery around you for your health and to relax from time to time to get rest after all the impressions that have been there.
There are also many things urban people can learn from rural people, such as techniques for dealing with criticism, letting nature soothe you, helping each other and enjoying a moment without distractions.
Want to learn more about mental techniques to make your life more enjoyable? Then come to a seminar or check out Hypnosis Institute Netherlands' training courses.
Sources:
http://farmprogress.com/blogs-5-reasons-farm-kids-are-more-successful-life-10930
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v474/n7352/abs/nature10190.html
http://www.journalclub.co.uk/resources/Abbott%20(2011)%20City%20living%20marks%20the%20brain.pdf
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204614000310
