Smaller Homes, Fuller Lives: Rethinking What We Really Need at Home

5000 square feet…6000 square feet…there’s even a home on the market in Weston, MA that measures 21,000 square feet, where the closets alone are the size of some apartments. (Check it out if you’re into real estate porn; and hey, they recently reduced the price by six and a half mil!) But is square footage all it’s chalked up to be?

Research consistently shows that having a bigger home doesn’t automatically make people happier, once basic shelter needs are met. Studies on living space and subjective well-being have found that after you reach a minimum threshold of space for comfort, adding more space rarely boosts long-term happiness and sometimes even detracts from it.

Across much of Europe, daily life relies far less on the home as the center of everything. Walkable neighborhoods, accessible public spaces, cafés, parks, and strong social networks play a much bigger role. As a result, the home isn’t expected to carry the full weight of work, rest, entertainment, and social connection. Researchers have noted that this kind of built environment naturally reduces pressure on private space and supports higher well-being overall.

In contrast, many large suburban homes are designed to compensate for the trade-offs of moving further out: longer commutes, fewer community spaces, and more isolated daily routines. When life happens almost entirely indoors, the home is forced to become everything: office, gym, restaurant, sanctuary, storage unit, and social hub. That’s a heavy load for any floor plan.

Purchasing a larger home, with the expectation that bigger is better, can also put a severe financial strain on buyers, who stretch their budgets in both urban and suburban environments to get more, more, more. But when every member of the household can retreat to their own private space, the social interactions that are often the true source of happiness can be harder to come by.

So maybe instead of asking “How big of a house can I afford?” we should be asking “What kind of home will sustain the kind of life I want?”

That shift changes everything. Suddenly, the focus moves away from square footage and toward how a home actually supports daily life—your routines, relationships, energy, and time.

From a well-being perspective, the home functions as emotional infrastructure. It quietly shapes how relationships unfold, how friction is managed, and how supported (or stretched) we feel in different seasons of life. More space can relieve stress for some families. Less space can foster connection for others. Neither is universally better.

Here’s what the research suggests:

• Relationships matter more than space: The quality of connections within a household and with neighbors often correlates with higher life satisfaction regardless of home size. (The Washington Post)

• Neighborhoods shape wellbeing: Walkable, amenity-rich areas support social interaction, reduce isolation, and promote both mental and physical health. (ScienceDaily)

• Social fabric boosts contentment: Environments where people feel attached to their community and have strong local networks are linked to higher happiness. (MDPI) 

  
  

When you’re thinking about your next move, try to consider your personal needs over the American Dream of a home that is bigger than your neighbor’s. As agents who have worked in a wide range of urban to suburban areas over our 20+ years in the business, we know that asking questions about your lifestyle and listening carefully to the answers is key to finding you the house of your dreams.

After all, size isn’t everything.