The Goldilocks zones: Scientists pinpoint the suburban sweet spots where families will be happiest in Britain
Britain's suburbs – natural habitat of Hyacinth Bucket, Victor Meldrew and his garden gnomes – are often derided as boring. But it turns out that these leafy neighbourhoods are where the nation is happiest.
Scientists say residents in what they call the 'Goldilocks zone' – not too busy, not too quiet but just right – sandwiched between city centres and the countryside, are less likely to suffer anxiety and depression.
The researchers have come up with a formula to pinpoint these sweet spots, with the distance from the centre of town dependent on the size of a city's population. So for an area with a population of 200,000, such as Reading, the best place to live is 5.5 miles from the city centre – and Caversham, rising from the Thames to the Chilterns, fits the bill. For those looking for a place near Portsmouth, they would do well to consider Cosham, the UK HQ of computer giant IBM.
For Brighton and Hove, with its slightly larger population, the perfect place to set up home might well be in Shoreham-by-Sea, birthplace of singer Leo Sayer.
And for somewhere with a population of about one million, such as Birmingham, the happiest people are living up to a 13-mile journey from the city centre: examples include Knowle and Catshill.
It is not clear why suburbanites are the happiest, and the findings were true only for the UK, the team of international scientists said.
But it may be linked to the demographics of these areas, which are more likely to be populated by families who move there for cheaper housing. They may have fewer money worries and a better quality of life overall than those who live more centrally. 'In the UK, depression and anxiety peak in urban and rural areas, with a 'Goldilocks zone' of lower rates in between,' the researchers wrote in the Journal of Affective Disorders, having used data from the UK, New Zealand and Norway.
'This zone may result from families relocating to areas just outside cities, while demographics more vulnerable to depression and anxiety tend to favour urban living.
'It is unclear why the Goldilocks zone was only found for the UK.'
The results show the highest levels of depression were in urban areas, at 8.5 per cent of the population, and in rural areas at 7.9 per cent. But areas in between had a rate of just 7 per cent.
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BBC News
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
We had to launch Mission Impossible-style hospital escape to bring my boy home to die – I won't get over the trauma
A TEENAGER with just days to live was forced to evade security guards as he fled through a hospital, before jumping into a getaway car - just so he could die at home. Teddie Marks, 18, was wheelchair-bound, with his legs swelled up from cancer but was able to show off his athletic prowess one last time during the comedic mad dash. 15 15 Mum Jay - who is campaigning for more access to grief counselling for bereaved families - explained how everything had been put in place to allow her son to receive palliative care at the family's home in Braintree, Essex. However, at the last minute, as they left University College London Hospital they were confusingly told Teddie had to stay, against his wishes. Security was called and they were to be blocked from leaving - but the adventurous young man was having none of it. Mum-of-three Jay, 42, said: 'He's 18, they got all his paperwork ready, they gave us all his medication, they said to us he was going to be blue-lighted because from UCLH to Braintree it's a bit of a drive. 'Then they said they were going to get a normal ambulance but I would have to sign responsibility for him, which was fine… then we're told that's been cancelled.' Jay continued: 'In the end, the palliative care nurse fitted him up with a 24-hour pump so that we could get him home and hook him up to the machine.' 'That makes no sense' The family then got into a lift on the 15th floor with the palliative care nurse, alongside a 'bag of medication' and all of Teddie's things from weeks of being in and out of hospital - when they hit another speed bump. 'On the way down she had a call and she was like 'right okay', then she said 'they've called security',' explained Jay. 'We were like what? That makes no sense because she was with us and he'd been discharged. 'Teddie was an adult and sound of mind, and he'd told them he wanted to go home.' Not wanting to stick around to find out what was going on, Teddie, who was being pushed in a wheelchair, as well as his mum and dad Joseph, and two other relatives, bolted. 'When the lift doors opened on the ground floor we ran, we were gone,' said Jay. 'We were literally running through the hospital and the nurse was shouting 'stop!' 'They didn't catch up to us, and poor Teddie, he jumped in the car, bearing in mind his legs were all swollen, he had lymphedema where the fluid wasn't going back upwards because of where the tumour was sitting. You've never seen him move so fast. He jumped out of the wheelchair, jumped in the car and went 'drive!' Jay MarksMum of Teddie 'You've never seen him move so fast,' continued Jay. 'He jumped out of the wheelchair, jumped in the car and went 'drive!'' Joseph's two aunts, who had been with them at the hospital, stayed behind and later told the family the nurse burst into tears. 'She was crying and she was saying 'I'm happy they got to go' because it wasn't her that had called security - it had been higher up,' explained Jay. 'They'd already given him his discharge papers and everything we needed, it made no sense. It's funny to look back on now, what everyone else must have been thinking.' 15 15 15 That was on July 12 2024 and on the 14th Teddie finally passed away. It had been a tough journey since his shock diagnosis at age 16 in 2022 with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in soft tissue. 'It's quite rare but quite aggressive, and it tends to come back even if you get rid of it,' explained Jay. 'He did have a six-month period when he got rid of the cancer, and then he relapsed in July 2023, and then we've had a long battle.' Trips to Germany The family was told there was nothing more the NHS could offer and so they spent tens of thousands of pounds, via GoFundMe, to travel to Germany multiple times - the last of which was days before Teddie died. 'We'd been seeing different professors that had tried different treatments,' said Jay. 'Unfortunately, the last professor we tried, he was having some success, and the month after that treatment, Teddie was feeling much better. 'All the swelling in his legs had gone down, he was feeling much better, but by that time the cancer had spread and we didn't catch it.' Teddie knew he was dying as he'd flown to Germany the last time, but didn't want to give up. 'His words were 'I'm not going to die without trying',' said Jay. 'He was fighting the whole time.' Asked if he'd been able to get alternative treatment sooner she believes her son could have survived, Jay said: 'I think so. The NHS will say 'no, no' but they are so ignorant to what is out there in Europe, it's unbelievable.' 15 15 After Teddie relapsed in March 2023 he was given an operation and it was 'made clear' by the consultants that they'd 'tripled checked' with the surgeons that Teddie's cancer could be removed with 'clear margins', said Jay. 'Because if it couldn't they weren't going to touch it. They said 'the surgeons are really sure'.' 'After the operation, as soon as Teddie came round, he said 'did you get it with clear margins?' and they said 'we can't be sure'. 'It must not have been checked properly,' Jay said. 'When he had scans four to six weeks after the op, nodules had appeared. 'I think at that point if we'd gone to Germany, Teddie would have stood a better chance.' £100,000 in 24 hours The GoFundMe page set up to help the teen receive alternative treatments 'went over £100,000 in the first 24 hours', said Jay. 'GoFundMe got in touch to say they had never seen one go up that quickly.' All of that and more went on private testing and treatments abroad. 'I can't sit here and say don't listen to the NHS because overall they were amazing, but it's frustrating that there are these treatments out there,' said Jay. 'Don't get me wrong, the hospital was amazing, especially the nurses who go above and beyond.' 15 15 15 But with all other hope lost, with the help of Farleigh Hospice, in Braintree, Teddie was able to die in the comfort of his own home. 'He knew what he was going home for,' said Jay. 'It was absolutely heartbreaking because you know you are saying bye to your child. 'We sat up every night. He had his family here, his aunts, his uncles and his cousins. 'Don't be depressed' 'At one point, Teddie said 'don't be depressed, put some music on',' she added, laughing. Teddie had always been the one to keep the family's spirits up, even throughout his illness. 'He was such a good boy,' said Jay. 'There were days after he got diagnosed where I couldn't get up, couldn't function and he would come in and say to me, 'up you get, Mum'. 'He had such strong faith, he was quite religious - even when Teddie was dying, he had all the family here and was cuddling his girl cousins and he said 'don't cry for me, I know where I'm going.' 'That boy was absolutely something else.' Teddie had first been getting pain in August 2021, and by November he was 'in agony' and 'was up three or four nights straight', said Jay, who took him to A&E multiple times. However, they were sent away again and again and told to take over the counter painkillers. 15 15 15 Jay said Teddie was 'very robust', he was captain of Chelmsford City EJA, but even his pain threshold was being pushed to the limit. Eventually, the family paid for a private doctor and MRI scan, then an operation which found abscesses. The doctor sent off for a biopsy at UCLH and then a week later a phone call confirmed the worst. 'It was during lockdown so everything was a bit dodgy,' said Jay. 'I got told over the phone that Teddie had cancer and was given a treatment plan.' During his treatment Teddie refused to stop, and passed his GCSE Maths and English - the latter to an A* standard - while undergoing chemotherapy. And even passed his driving test. But while his memory lives on, Jay is still as heartbroken now as she was a year ago. 'You can't prepare yourself' 'You know it's coming but you can't prepare yourself,' she said of her son's death. 'I can't put it into words, it's coming up to a year but I'm still devastated every day. Me and his dad, brother and sister, and his nan. There's not a day that goes by that we don't cry.' She added, of her children: 'They'll always be my babies.' Taking up the baton left by Teddie, his mum is now campaigning herself to raise awareness about the wait times families must endure to receive grief counselling. After filling out a form she was told by the hospice the waiting list is nine to 12 months. Jay said: 'Last week I had an email from Farleigh saying they've got this session thing, it's not one to one counselling, there's other people there. 'There's 10 spaces and to get back to them if I wanted a place. 'I saw the email, 40 minutes later, by the time I got back they'd emailed me saying all the spaces had gone.' Jay said she had another email from the hospice asking since it was a 'considerable amount of time since I put my application in for counselling, have my circumstances changed?' 'They did get an email back saying 'my circumstances haven't changed, unfortunately my son hasn't risen from the dead, I'm still grieving and still in need of support'. She continued: 'It's not going to change. I just can't get my head round that it can take this long to sort… any grief is bad, but when you've lost your child, I can't explain it. It's unexplainable.' Jay went on to say: 'I said to my doctor, 'they're lucky I'm not suicidal'. If he was my only child maybe I would be suicidal but I have two other children who I need to look after. It's not going to change. I just can't get my head round that it can take this long to sort… any grief is bad, but when you've lost your child, I can't explain it. It's unexplainable. Jay MarksMum of Teddie 'I carry the family's grief. My daughter, her and Teddie were 10 months apart - she's got ASD, so she's on the spectrum, and Teddie was her comfort blanket. 'She struggles really badly. Then my eldest son, who's 23 now, he will just struggle silently. 'I feel like I have to carry on because I don't want them to see my grieving and think they've got to carry my grief.' She added: 'I do feel passionately that there are parents going through this and you have to wait a year. We can't go privately. 'My husband sold his company when Teddie got diagnosed because we were backwards and forwards to UCLH. He's a caretaker now and I'm a support assistant in a school.' Jay said: 'I've lost people but nothing compares to losing your child, especially when you've watched your child go through what he did for two and a half years. 'You get a lot of flashbacks, I'm sure it's PTSD. You're replaying stuff continuously. It's traumatising when you hear your baby, though he was 18, in the night screaming in agony. 'It's traumatising to remember the running from the hospital, the taking him to Germany when he was in agony.' She described Teddie as 'my best mate', adding: 'I know parents say that about their kids but he was like my right arm. 'He was always with me, we were always together. We had the same sense of humour. We were always laughing. 'No one could get you in tears of laughter like Teddie could. For me, I'm still completely lost.' Michelle Kabia, Interim Chief Executive at Farleigh Hospice, said: 'Ensuring that the families of our patients receive the best quality support throughout their loved ones illness and afterwards is our absolute priority. "Our bereavement support services are offered free of charge to anyone within mid Essex. "As a result they are in incredibly high demand, as reflected in our current waiting lists, which we are actively working to reduce. 'We regularly stay in touch with people on the waiting list to check how they are, offer interim bereavement support options while they wait for one to one counselling, and check whether their circumstances have changed, as people may have accessed alternative support or moved out of the area. "We welcome all feedback and are continually looking to improve our services. We would be very happy to have a further conversation with the family.' The Sun has also approached University College Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for comment
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Electrolyte sachets are everywhere – but will they cure a festival hangover?
The tickets are bought, the line-ups have been announced and it's nearly time to drag last year's tent out of the cupboard for a wipedown – and to evict a few dead earwigs. And this summer, there's one more festival accessory that partygoers won't be travelling without: electrolyte tablets. Touted as a faster route to rehydration than water, and a way to replace vital salts lost during heavy drinking and partying, the focus on festivals is the latest twist in a global boom for electrolytes, as everyone from triathletes to YouTubers sings the praises of these super-hydrating mineral supplements. Happy Tuesdays is selling 'all-night electrolytes' for party people; Holy Hydration says its hydration powders are perfect for athletes and party people, replacing electrolytes and minerals lost from sweating; while ORS Hydration claims its tablets can help people to prevent or recover from hangovers. The UK health food chain Holland & Barrett is promoting electrolyte sachets and magnesium water as 'festival essentials'. But can they really take the edge off a hangover, or soften the infamous 'Tuesday blues' that follow a weekend flirtation with substances of a less legal kind? Electrolytes are minerals that are vital for basic bodily functions, such as regulating fluid levels, transmitting nerve impulses and ensuring the blood doesn't become too acidic. The main electrolytes are sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, phosphate and bicarbonates. 'They are carefully regulated within specific ranges in the body. This is because levels outside the normal ranges – either too high or too low – can lead to life-threatening complications,' said Dr Sammie Gill, a specialist gastroenterology dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. Fortunately, our bodies do an excellent job of maintaining the correct balance of these chemicals, with the kidneys playing a key role – so for healthy people, day to day, taking electrolyte supplements is unnecessary, Gill said. 'There are so many foods that are rich in electrolytes, including plant-based foods and dairy. It's not something people should be concerned about.' One scenario where a healthy person might need electrolytes is after a bout of vomiting or diarrhoea. This can cause significant fluid loss and upset the body's balance of essential minerals like sodium and potassium, In severe cases, rehydrating with a properly balanced solution – such as oral rehydration salts – can be life-saving. Electrolytes may be useful in other situations – 'for example, during periods of intense or prolonged exercise over an hour in duration, and especially in hot climates, or if the individual is a particular heavy sweater', said Gill. And while partying in a sun-baked field isn't quite the same as running a marathon, it could, in theory lead to dehydration – meaning electrolytes may be useful here as well. That said, Gill said if you truly need electrolyte support, it's easy enough to make your own. 'Simply mix 200ml of water, 300ml of fruit juice and a pinch of salt,' she said. 'Cow's milk is also a naturally a rich source of electrolytes, including sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. You're also getting additional nutrients, such as protein, that electrolyte supplements do not deliver.' Whether electrolyte sachets can ease hangovers or soften the crash after taking recreational drugs is another matter. A recent review of UK hangover products available on Amazon found that most contain modest amounts of potassium, sodium and vitamin C. But although dehydration is often blamed for the misery that follows a night of drinking, the science tells a more nuanced story. When researchers led by Joris Verster at Utrecht University reviewed the evidence last year, they found that although alcohol does cause some fluid loss, dehydration and hangovers appear to be parallel outcomes of drinking, rather than one causing the other. In other words, although people often feel thirsty the morning after drinking, and may also feel terrible, thirst doesn't reliably predict the intensity of a hangover – and drinking water during or after alcohol consumption has only a modest effect on symptoms. 'Yes, thirst and dry mouth are common the next morning, and an electrolyte sachet might help with those symptoms, but it won't touch the main symptoms like headache, nausea, fatigue, or hangxiety,' said Dr Blair Aitken at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, who investigates the impact of recreational drugs on cognition. 'Current research points to inflammation, oxidative stress, and acetaldehyde buildup as the key drivers of hangovers, not fluid or electrolyte loss.' Nor are they a cure for post-MDMA or ecstasy comedowns, Aitken said. These are thought to be driven by a temporary dip in serotonin, poor sleep, dehydration, and general physical and mental exhaustion. 'You can't simply restore a complex neurochemical system with a supplement and expect to feel normal again,' he said. Interestingly, a small 2022 study from Imperial College London found no mood decline following MDMA-assisted therapy in clinical settings. 'The authors suggested that the typical comedown might be more about context and expectation than the drug itself,' said Aitken. Some ingredients in rave recovery packs, may offer a small lift – hydration, sugar, perhaps some caffeine or other energy boosters, but they are not cures. 'The best you can do to support recovery would be sleep, hydration, food and time,' said Aitken. That said, using electrolyte tablets after a night of dancing, sweating and consuming drugs or alcohol, is unlikely to be harmful, he added. 'If people want to use them for a bit of post-party support, that's fine – just don't expect a miracle fix.'
