Can Moving Make You Happier?

Our homes are extensions of our lives. More than just places where we eat, sleep, and play (and, more often now than ever, work), they’re where we experience joy and sadness and where we build relationships and grow as people and as a families. And when you’re not feeling totally satisfied in your life, it’s easy to project those feelings of dissatisfaction on to your living environment. But can moving make you happier, or is it just a bandage on an otherwise bigger problem?

You’re probably familiar with the idiom that “the grass is always greener on the other side,” especially as it relates to home. Feeling you’d be happier in an apartment with an in-unit washer and dryer versus having to lug all your laundry to the laundromat though is very different than feeling like all of life’s ills would dissipate if you could just move to another house, city, or state.

So can moving make you happier? Research says yes—but only to a point. Below, we break down some of the science behind where we live and how we feel, as well as what we’ve learned along the way about the factors of home life that equate with more happiness.

What The Science Says

In 1998, researchers David A. Schkade and Daniel Kahneman, of University of Texas and Princeton University respectively, set out to discover whether it was true that life in California is always as sunny as it seems. The point of the research was to test the belief of their Midwestern subjects that their California peers were undoubtedly happier due to living in a more attractive climate and culture.

The question at the heart of their research: can moving make you happier if you move to somewhere that’s more desirable?

What Schkade and Kahneman found might be surprising to anyone who has dreamed of Christmas at the beach while hunkering down through another Midwestern polar vortex. Their California subjects related similar levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with life as their Midwestern subjects, suggesting that where you live isn’t really the defining factor of whether you’ll be happy there.

The study referred to the misconception behind assuming you’d be happier if you just lived somewhere different as a focusing illusion. “Easily observed and distinctive differences between locations are given more weight in such judgments than they will have in reality,” the researchers note in the study’s abstract. In other words: your life travels with you wherever you go, even if the place you go has better weather and more opportunities.

These findings were echoed somewhat in later research by Stephan Goetz of Penn State University, who mapped happiness in the U.S. based on geographic location. In a large telephone survey, Goetz talked to respondents all over the country in an effort to draw connections between where they live and how happy they are, with questions that included how many days a month they found themselves unhappy.

Goetz’ research seemed to say the same thing than Schkade and Kahneman’s, just from a different angle: it’s not where you live so much as it is what your life is like there. Just as living in California versus Ohio doesn’t guarantee happiness, nor does living in balmy Key West or a mountain resort in the Rockies. Goetz found another interesting tidbit too, which is that those who have recently located tend to have more bad days a month than those who have stayed put, which further supports that it’s about more than just your outside environment.

Of course, science can’t encapsulate every experience. When it comes to answering the question of “can moving make you happier?” there’s a lot more nuance than just proximity to palm trees or city skylines. This is particularly true if you’re moving to escape a certain situation, versus moving in hopes of simply finding that elusive greener grass.

Environmental Factors That Can Make a Difference

When it comes to relocating, “nothing you focus on will make as much difference as you think,” wrote Schkade and Kahneman. This doesn’t mean that you won’t (or can’t) be happier in a new place, but that increasing happiness in your living environment requires more than just a change of scenery. With that in mind, here are some of things that can actually lead to more satisfaction with where you live and that are worth looking for in a new home if you’re on the hunt for a happiness boost.

Shorter commutes. According to Goetz’ research, you could live in the most desirable place on Earth and still be unhappy if you have a long commute every day. He found a direct correlation between the time that people spent commuting and higher amounts of unhappy days, suggesting that if you want to move to be happier, a great way to do that is to shave some time off of how long you’re spending in the car or on the train to get to and from work.

People, not places. The quality of your community is one of the biggest indicators of happiness in your living environment. The research shows that you’re more likely to be happier in a tight-knit community, and that having a supportive social group where you live can go a long way. If you’re feeling unhappy where you live, it’s worth making an effort to strengthen your relationships there, whether that means seeing your friends more, connecting with your neighbors, or joining a community group.

Less stress in the suburbs. Cities may offer lots of options to engage with art, food, and other cultures, and the countryside may offer idyllic open skies and some much lauded peace and quiet, but it’s actually the suburbs where people are most happy says Goetz. The thought is that it’s a best of both worlds scenario, with people in the suburbs being close enough to the city and to rural areas to enjoy the benefits of both without experiencing the downfalls of either.

So, can moving make you happier? Likely yes, if it comes with general improvements in your living environment, social network, and work-life balance. But it’s far from a cure-all, and you’re unlikely to notice a change in how you feel if your move doesn’t offer more than just a superficial change in scenery.

The secret to getting more out of your move: plan, and don’t just move for the sake of moving. Try to pinpoint exactly what you’re lacking in your current home, then look for a home that can improve on those specific factors.

Note that if you are feeling unhappy in your home due to issues of domestic abuse, help is available to assist you in finding a new place to live as quickly as possible. To find immediate assistance, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.