Choosing Where To Live Is The Key To Happiness

The place where we decide to settle influences our day-to-day well-being.

Choosing where to live is a step of great responsibility. In fact, it is very often said that where you live influences how you look, how you feel and how you think. In other words, beyond what we can believe, a home is more than a four-walled space: it is a setting with a more than evident impact on human well-being.

Environmental psychology is the science that studies this series of factors. We must understand that beyond a physical environment there are another series of variables that mediate many aspects of the human being. Thus, in addition to the social relationships and bonds that we establish in a home, there are elements that affect our emotions.

Beyond the material, the luxuries and the objects with which we want to surround ourselves, happiness can be found simply in having a pleasant, comfortable place, with good lighting, little noise pollution and that has the essentials so that at the arrive, we can feel that this space is our home.

Choose where to live, choose how to live

Perhaps e l why are not happy  not due to your type of employment, difficulties or the status of your bank account but in fact have the feeling of living in the wrong place.

Satisfaction with life depends in part on being able to choose where to live. Beyond the home itself, it is important to choose a neighborhood, city or even country that is in line with our interests. For example, in a study carried out at the University of Virginia it was shown that happiness is related to our personality and the place in which we live.

• For example, introverts feel much better in natural and mountainous environments.
• Likewise, the more outgoing profile prefers more boisterous environments close to the sea.

It is clear that it is not always at our disposal to choose where to live. However, as far as possible we must take into account certain factors.

Our personality and the place to live

The characteristics that we evaluate before we move (whether it is buying or renting a flat) are more related to the crime rates, the means of transportation, the businesses, the schools or the surrounding parks. It is also necessary to take into account, as we have pointed out, our personality and interests.

• For example, if we are outgoing and like to go out often, we can choose central or urban areas. On the contrary, if we prefer the tranquility of reading looking out the window or inviting our friends over on Saturday night, it would be better for us to live in a more secluded place.

Finding the best place to live then depends on a combination of individual layouts and the characteristics of the neighborhood.

Where to live to be happy?

This is the question we should all ask ourselves before moving in. Before buying or renting a home, the margin of choice is not always unlimited.

• We look first at value, then at closeness to work and homes of loved ones; then we evaluate if there are schools, colleges, hospitals and supermarkets. But there is a key issue: our personality.

It is necessary that we take into account what we really like and our interests when choosing where to live, in order to feel comfortable. Here are the four main aspects to take into account.

1. Openness to new experiences

Those who are bolder, more sociable and receptive can live better in the places near the center, where there is greater population density and cultural diversity.

Home prices in central locations tend to be higher and the crime rate tends to be higher; However, living in downtown neighborhoods has its advantages.

2. Extroversion

People who like to interact with others and who love meeting new people, knowing all the proposals and news that arise at the moment, tend to prefer the most crowded places. However, this is not a rule. There are always exceptions.

3. Friendliness

The relationship between neighbors is more frequent in peripheral neighborhoods than in central ones, since in the latter, life is more hectic.

If you are one of those who enjoys dealing with neighbors or making friends, try to take into account the type of neighborhood when choosing where to live.

4. Emotional stability

Emotional stability is usually the hallmark of those people who prioritize interior issues (philosophical or spiritual), no matter where they live. Your source of happiness comes from within.

For them,  the important thing is to be able to fulfill themselves  as human beings. Which is why they adapt very well to any space.

How to choose the best place to live?

If you have the possibility to choose where to live n or hesitate to exploit that advantage. Remember to evaluate the place according to your interests and your personality. This is undoubtedly fundamental, since as revealed by a study by the University of Helsinki after carrying out an analysis of a group of people who resided in London, the character itself can make us enjoy to the maximum the place chosen to live or by the otherwise, suffer alterations in the state of mind.

Therefore, it is necessary that the place meets certain parameters:

• More or less contact with nature.
• Means of transport or access to the place of work or study.
• Services and facilities of the place (schools, hospitals, leisure centers).
• Housing services and equipment (rooms, number of bathrooms, kitchen size).
• Activities carried out during leisure time (gym, swimming pool, shopping centers, cinemas).

Choosing where to live isn’t just about being practical. You have to pay attention to your tastes as well in order to feel comfortable and fully enjoy the word: home.