Homeowners no happier than renters, says expert

ElizabethDunnis giving youpermission to stopkeeping up with the Joneses.

Thepsychology professor and director of the Happy Lab at the University of British Columbiasaysthosewho strive for aluxury abode are likely wasting their time.

Calgary Eyeopener6:03Happiness in the home

Our happiness columnist Elizabeth Dunn on how the space you live in affects your happiness.

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"Actually what really turns out tomatter is the extent to which your home provides you with a great opportunity to interact with other people," said Dunn.

She says owners shouldn't be obsessingovergranite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a steam shower but design and layout. A house with great "social engineering."

"Does your home, for example, open up onto a courtyard where you naturally run into neighbours and have barbecues and have lots of friendly social contact with the people around you?"

Dunn says the research also tells us that female homeowners are no happier than renters andactually weigh about 5.5 kilograms heavieron average.

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Smaller yards bring joy

People do tend to feel happier when they're outside, says Dunn, but the size of your garden may affect how you socialize with your neighbours.

She saysCharlesMontgomery explores this in his bookHappy City, and says havingmassive yardmay just be another way to isolate youfrom your neighbours.

"He argues, based on a bunch of research, that the best yard is one that about 13-feet deep," said Dunn.

"So you can imagine, if you're on a block with a bunch of townhomes and everyone has these little yards, people are likely to be out in thoseyards and they're going to see eachother and chateasily."

Commute time matters

While many Canadians move to the suburbs to get more bang for their buck, thatmay actually be a pretty bad tradeoff, says Dunn.

"Having that big home doesn't actually seem to be all that significant in terms of improving happiness. Instead, maybe what youshould think about is howthe home youchoose is going to affect the way you spend your time."

She says spending hours everyday commuting to your enormous homecould decrease your overall happiness.