Why do New Yorkers seem rude?

Contrairement aux croyances populaire, ce n'est pas parce que les gens vivent dans des grandes villes qu'ils sont moins sociables et moins aidant. En fait, c'est plutôt le contraire comme le mentionne cet article sur les New Yorkais "Why do New Yorkers seem rude?":

This belief in a shared plight may underlie the remarkable level of cooperation that New Yorkers can show in times of trouble. Every few years or so, we have a water shortage, and then the mayor goes on the radio and tells us that we can't leave the water running in the sink while we're brushing our teeth. Surprise! People obey, and the water table goes up again. The more serious the problem, the more dramatic the displays of cooperation. I will not speak of the World Trade Center disaster, because it is too large a subject, but the last time we had a citywide power failure, and hence no traffic lights, I saw men in business suits—they looked like lawyers—directing traffic at busy intersections on Ninth Avenue. They got to be traffic cops for a day and tell the big trucks when to stop and when to go. They looked utterly delighted.

L'entraide, c'est une qualité nécessaire pour survivre dans des sociétés où les individus vivent dans une très forte densité...