[XaspR8d]

I appreciate the way you worded it, and I agree 100% for myself. I'm hardly a strong extrovert, but something about the assurance of being able to go and find activity at any time really makes me less stressed and more effective at working.

But I accept that this may not be a helpful environment for everyone. I know I have to balance this need with the needs of my SO, who feels similarly about having forests and lakes nearby (which certainly soothe me, but don't rank as high as having humans about).

[Swizec]

Solution: Move to a small city in Europe.

Back home[1] I live in downtown area so there's plenty of people at all times, but at the same time you can see the Alps from almost anywhere in the city on most days. And they're just an hour's drive away.

I imagine a lot of the smaller cities in Europe fulfill these criteria.

[1] Ljubljana - population about 300k, during workdays swells up to about 500k people. Small, but still lively.