My front door is yellow. I chose this colour because it’s a colour that says happy and optimistic and that’s the vibe that I want for my home so why not start with the front door!
If this COVID-19 outbreak has taught us one thing, it is the importance of home! Last year The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen published The Good Home Report 2019. In producing this report, The Happiness Research Institute talked to over 13,000 people about their home, and how happy they are in life. The survey included people from 10 different countries across Europe and from different cultures, age groups and social economic backgrounds.
The research answers the questions: What makes a house a home: And what makes that home a happy one?
“Our research shows that often we look for happiness in the wrong places. Sometimes what we think makes us happy and what really makes us happy are not the same. Our research builds on the belief that our homes shape our lives. Our homes are where we find comfort and safety. Where we let our guard down and connect with loved ones. In a world demanding more and more of our attention, our homes are where we can retreat to and seek refuge.”
Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute and author of best-selling book The Little Book of Hygge
I am already aware of the fact that our homes have such a big impact on how we feel. But the study highlighted that our homes actually account for 15% of our overall happiness, compared to only 6% from income, and 3% from our employment status.
We all have our personal preferences in style, colour and materials, but the study identified five core emotions related to happiness at home, no matter who we are or where we live – pride, identity, comfort, safety and control.
PRIDE
“First and foremost, we want a home we can feel proud of. Usually those feelings of pride come from our personal achievements, whether that’s a home improvement project we completed, or the time and energy we’ve invested to make a place feel like home. Pride is the core emotion that best explains happiness in general and happiness in the home.“
The research showed that having a home we feel proud of is the single most important thing when it comes to feeling happy at home, yet it’s also one of the emotions fewest of us feel! So, what is it that makes us feel proud of our homes? The Happiness Research Institute found a strong link between how much pride people have in their homes and the time they spend improving their home. Investing time and energy to create your own personal space, whether you are working with an interior designer, or ‘doing it yourself’, is proven to enhance pride and happiness.
And if we are proud of our homes then we are more likely to invite friends and family in to share our space, developing emotional connections, adding meaning and creating positive memories in the process.
COMFORT
“The world can be hectic, so it’s natural that we want our home to be a stress-free haven. A place where we can shut out the rest of the world, relax and unwind. Many of the people we spoke to talked about their home as a sanctuary or safe haven.”
One of the most important ways to create a sanctuary in our homes is to design our homes with a connection to nature. Studies have shown that this, known as biophilic design, creates a space in which we can relax, physically and mentally, and recharge. Adding biophilia into our homes involves everything, from the layout and functionality of a space, to the colours and textures of the soft furnishings we surround ourselves with.
IDENTITY
“It is important our home feels like an extension of ourselves. Somewhere we can express our own unique personality and sense of identity. Whether it’s the colour we paint the walls or the furniture we choose, we want to put our own stamp on the place we live.”
Personalising your home is one of my mantras, and I have blogged about this before. It is important that our homes are a collection of our lives, who we are, and where we’ve been. They should reflect the narrative of our lives, from the books on the shelves, to the treasures brought back from travels, to the furniture handed down through the generations – all of these things help to create a home that promotes that feeling of identity and belonging.
SAFETY
“We want to feel safe and secure in our homes. That doesn’t just mean feeling safe from physical threats. It can also be about the condition of our home, such as whether the structure is sound or if the roof leaks.“
Safety is one of the most important human needs, as classified in Maslow’s 1943 paper on “A Theory of Human Motivation”. His hierarchy of needs puts safety in second place, above our need for food, water and oxygen.
CONTROL
“Control is about the level to which we can decide what happens in our own home. This can be linked to things like budget or whether we rent or own the place we live in. It’s ultimately about whether or not we feel on top of things.”
Interestingly, the research found that home ownership, location, or size are not essential factors in our happiness. It is more important to people that their homes met their needs and that they are adaptable to life’s changes over time. It is the perception of spaciousness that is more closely connected to happiness than simply having a big home. Factors such as less clutter and more storage are key here, as well as rearranging our homes to create a greater sense of space. Lack of space is cited as the single most common problem people experience, and that has the biggest impact on how we feel.
What to know more? You can read the full report here.
So how does your home rank in terms of your happiness? We’d love to hear your thought on social media – and don’t forget to tag us!
“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.”
Mary Davis