Urban Stressors in South Asia

In two studies, pedestrians in Old and New Delhi (India) and Dhaka (Bangladesh) were asked about their reactions to three stressors common to rapidly growing urban areas in South Asia: noise, air pollution, and crowding. Results from the first study, a survey of men in Old Delhi, indicated that respondents who were more upset by noise and by crowding also reported more physical symptoms and less perceived control. In the second study, male and female pedestrians were interviewed in New Delhi and Dhaka. Results revealed consistent gender, country, and gender by country effects on measures of general affect, ratings of stressors, and coping responses. In addition, results from an experimental manipulation in Study 2 indicated that in both countries, telling pedestrians about the effects of air pollution or crowding made them feel significantly worse than they would have felt had they not been given any information.