Homeownership Makes You Fat and Unhappy
Grace Wong dived deep into a survey of 809 women in Columbus, Ohio, in 2005 -- before the property bubble burst -- and came up with some startling results:
> An interesting portrait of homeowners emerges from my analysis. I
> find little evidence that homeowners are happier by any of the
> following definitions: life satisfaction, overall mood, overall
> feeling, general moment-to-moment emotions (i.e., affect) and affect
> at home. Several factors might be at work: homeowners derive more pain
> (but no more joy) from both their home and their neighborhood. They
> are also more likely to be 12 pounds heavier, report lower health
> status and poorer sleep quality. They tend to spend less time on
> active leisure or with friends. The average homeowner reports less joy
> from love and relationships. She is also less likely to consider
> herself to enjoy being with people... The results are robust after
> controlling for reported financial stress.