Coronavirus has suffered the most from those who have lived in small houses - Lifestyle

One in four Italians suffered from significant anxiety symptoms during the lockdown period . An investigation into housing conditions and psycho-physical discomfort in quarantine carried out online by the Polytechnic of Milan and the University of Genoa says this, according to which some characteristics of homes are more recurring in those who have marked symptoms than those who have mild symptoms or absent. For example, living in a house with an area of ​​less than 60 square meters is a more frequent condition among those with depressive symptoms:14% against 8.5% of those who don't. The survey on almost 10 thousand people also revealed a strong relationship between marked depressive symptoms and homes with low natural lighting, low acoustic and thermo-hygrometric comfort, daytime rooms characterized by a limited number of soft qualities such as works of art or green elements and which do not guarantee adequate privacy during the increasingly numerous moments of telephone and video connection. These housing conditions are in fact more frequent (34%) in those who have depressive symptoms than in those who do not have them (13%). The results of the analyzes also show that those who live in houses with these poor indoor qualities run a twice greater risk of experiencing symptoms of moderate / severe depressioncompared to those who have brighter and more quality houses .
Balconies, terraces and loggias play an important role: those who have symptoms do not have such spaces in 37% of cases. Even the view from the windows has a significant weight: those who look out on poor quality outdoor spaces, both green, such as uncultivated land or waste spaces, and built, such as parking lots, streets or warehouses, are more symptomatic (28% of cases against 17 % of asymptomatic). Respondents were also asked how the home environment has affected their work or study performance: 31.2% say that these have been significantly worsened by the "new" environment. Covid-19 - is the reflection born from research - will also leave a mark on the real estate market , increasing the value of some homes and devaluing others. The watchwords for residential spaces will be flexibility, hygiene and resilience, to allow possible transformations into welcoming and functional working spaces and to ensure the psychophysical well-being of those who live in them.