Fast Pace and Long Life in Big Applefrom WSJ.com: Health Blog

We move fast because it’s part of the pace of life here. Speeding down sidewalks and sprinting up subway steps is one way you make it known that you live in the city and aren’t here to just see the sights.

But researchers are finding the rapid pedestrian pace of New Yorkers is actually quite good for us. As New York magazine reports, the New York City Department of Health estimates a New Yorker born in 2004 can now expect to live 78.6 years, nine months longer than the average American will.

There are many factors behind the lengthening lifespan here. Part of it is public policy: No smoking in bars or restaurants. But a large part of what makes us New Yorkers different is that we walk — everywhere, every day. And we walk fast.