I don’t know if this is really a surprise; however, according to a piece on Health24:

People who live in ‘walkable’ communities are more involved in their communities, more trusting and have a higher quality of life. This is according to a new study. (A walkable community means people have an easy stroll to  destinations such as parks and playgrounds, club meetings, and services such as a post office, coffee shops and restaurants.)

(This was  based on a study from the University of New Hampshire.)

They found that walkable communities scored higher on every measure of “social capital.” They also found out that people who

lived there were more likely to report being in good health and were happy more often than those elsewhere. (The study appears online in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life.)

What happens if I don’t live in a “Walkable Community?”

That’s a great question. Well, you can make it one – at least for a short period. Find ten minutes to take a walk. Do it briskly. (It’s impossible to feel bad when walking briskly – really!) Breathe deep. Enjoy the moment.

You might also enjoy reading a piece I wrote when I had trouble taking a walk while in Texas. It’s humorous – but mostly true.