A big house with room to grow is the American Dream — but what if bigger isn’t better?
As homes keep getting larger, a growing body of research suggests the people living inside them are not getting any happier — and may even be worse off.
The average new American home includes more than 940 square feet per person, according to a report by Science Direct.
In 1973, that figure was closer to 550 square feet.
Yet the research found that the steady expansion of living space has failed to deliver lasting gains in life satisfaction.
Smaller homes often mean lower costs, less upkeep and little clutter, while naturally pulling people into shared spaces. With smaller spaces, daily interaction increases and loneliness decreases — a dynamic researchers say helps explain why less space can lead to greater happiness.
‘If you move to a larger house, and you sacrifice interactions, then you have a problem,’ said Mariano Rojas, an economist on the study.
Big, new homes can be exciting, but that’s often short lived.
Small homes lead to increased happiness says a new report. More space and dead zones only lead to clutter and loneliness
Big, new homes can be exciting, but that’s often short lived. People who live in smaller homes have less stress and finances
Once the goal of homeownership is reached, many people realize what they’re now sacrificing in order to own
After buying a house, most people experience a brief boost in happiness that returns to its previous level within weeks or months.
In many cases, satisfaction declines as the reality and extra stress sets in.
Larger homes usually come with bigger mortgages, higher maintenance costs, longer commutes and more financial pressure.
Also people realize what they’re now sacrificing in terms of time and money in order to own.
Many give up vacations, hobbies and spending on things they realize brought them happiness in order to pay the mortgage.
Caring for a large home itself can also lead to stress, anxiety and depression. With so much to clean and maintain, it can become overwhelming for many.
The report also determined that after a few dedicated rooms for safety and comfort, every extra bedroom or floor in a household that sits unused reduces overall life satisfaction and adds stress.
Home theaters, formal dining rooms no one spends time in and unnecessary game rooms can easily turn from goals into ‘dead zones’ which no one uses.
After room for safety and comfort, every extra bedroom or floor in a household reduces overall life satisfaction and adds stress
More room also breeds more ‘stuff’ and clutter is directly tied to unhappiness. People find that smaller homes are leading to greater happiness
Keeping up with the Joneses is a real problem. When humans care about what they have relative to others, it often leads to unhappiness. Smaller homes tend to house happier people
More room also breeds more ‘stuff’ and clutter is directly tied to unhappiness.
In smaller spaces, clutter quickly becomes overwhelming and visible and can be dealt with on a daily basis, but in a larger home, items are usually spread out or tossed into another room like a basement, which can mask the true scale of accumulation. It often grows until a family member is forced to deal with it.
Lastly, keeping up with the Joneses is a real problem.
Even if you have a big house, your neighbor’s might be bigger– and the social pressure to match them or exceed them kicks in for many.
Unhealthy competitive attitudes towards lifestyle, wealth, and possessions, can leading to reckless spending and debt.
It also causes emotional stress. When humans care about what they have relative to others, it often leads to unhappiness.
‘You will never have enough,’ Rojas said. ‘When you live in a castle, you will say, well, it’s not Windsor Castle.’
His solution?
Instead of asking, ‘How big a house can I afford?’ Rojas says we should ask ‘What kind of home will sustain the kind of life I want?’
