Do You Want to Be Happier? Live Closer to What You Want to Do
The next time you’re looking for an apartment or home, don’t start by looking for the perfect building or home. Instead, look for places you’d like to spend your time – gyms, libraries, restaurants, etc. – and choose a home as close to those amenities as possible.
Preferably no more than 15 minutes.
As The Atlantic explains , staying close to amenities such as parks, libraries, cafes and gyms can literally change your life:
Americans living in communities with richer amenities are twice as likely to talk to their neighbors on a daily basis as those in areas where amenities are scarce. More importantly, given the widespread interest in the topic of loneliness in America, people living in comfort-rich communities are much less likely to feel isolated from others, whether they live in large cities, suburbs, or small towns. Fifty-five percent of Americans living in disadvantaged suburbs report high rates of social isolation, while less than one third of suburbanites in disadvantaged areas report being isolated.
If you read the entire article – or the American Enterprise Institute study it is based on – you will find that living in a dense neighborhood not only reduces isolation, but also increases trust in others and encourages you to become more involved in local activities.
It will also make it easier to form friendships with low stakes, which are also associated with an increased sense of community and well-being.
However, that doesn’t mean you need to move to a densely populated, pedestrian-friendly area, especially if that means paying more than you can afford in housing costs.
To quote AEI:
It doesn’t always have to take the form of village pedestrian neighborhoods. You can combine convenience with the American penchant for single-family homes and cars, as has happened in numerous suburban developments in recent years. In SCS [Community and Society Survey], people living in suburban areas with rich amenities often have the same level of satisfaction as people in dense urban areas. It seems that proximity and variety of amenities matter more than whether you live in the city center, in the suburbs, or in a small town.
In short: the closer you get to the amenities you like, the greater the benefits. As soon as it takes more than 15 minutes to find places, the advantages are replaced by negative ones.
If you are looking to learn more about the walking accessibility of a proposed city, town or area, Walk Score andRedfin are two good places to start. You can also use services such as Google Maps to find the amenities most important to you, whether you are looking for schools, restaurants, or public roads, and start searching for the nearest residential area.
And before renting or buying, try to know how long it will take you to get between where you plan to live and what you intend to do. If this takes more than fifteen minutes, consider looking elsewhere.