When you feel like your life is in a rut, considering a move to a new house, a new city, or even a new country may be one of the biggest changes you can do to try and improve your happiness but moving somewhere new, either locally or long-distance, can be a daunting and huge process that shouldn’t be done on a whim. Making a move is not an automatic way to become happier as there are many factors that affect our happiness so make sure you’re making this change for the right reasons.
On the flip side, being presented with the opportunity to move certainly has the potential to bring positive changes and improve your happiness! There’s no doubt that there is an adrenaline rush and sense of optimism that comes with moving to a new place or city so let’s take a look to see if moving can truly make you happier.
Can Moving to a New Place Make You Happier?
Stated by NDMS, the first thing you need to realize is that moving to a new place does not come with a magic elixir that will completely make you happy in an instant. Many factors affect your happiness gauge like your job, friends, and environment.
With that being taken into consideration, it doesn’t mean that moving won’t make you happier. There’s a very high chance that a move to a new place will make you feel excited and hopeful about a fresh start! There are a lot of uplifting emotions that come with a big change in life.
How Can Moving to a New Place Improve Happiness?
Moving definitely gives you the opportunity for improved happiness so let’s look at the ways moving to a new place can play a role in lifting your spirits and your overall psyche.
Rediscover Yourself
It’s easy to start feeling like you are living in a loop. Waking up at the same time every day to go to the same job wearing the same 5 outfits on repeat and getting used to your daily routines that are lacking in excitement can certainly leave you feeling unfulfilled. 
Similarly to how most people “find themselves” after a monumental breakup or a huge event like a death in your family, moving to a new place can conjure up the same feelings. Re-evaluating how you see yourself and your life is bound to happen. What you do with your “new” life is all up to you!
When moving to a new city or state, the new friends and co-workers you meet won’t have any expectations of you. You are free to be your best self and live the life you’ve always wanted but have been hindered by previously. Moving to a new environment and a different scene will help broaden your horizons and do wonders for your self-awareness, rediscovery, and mentality.
Opportunity for Financial Security
While not always the case, the cause for a big move is due to a new job opportunity or relocation. If you live in a city where the cost of living is very high and you are constantly stressed about money, moving to an area that costs less to live in would eliminate a lot of your unhappiness and stress. Getting a new job in a new place is a wonderful way to boost your mood.
Live in Your Idea Climate
Nicer weather and more sunlight can coincide with increased levels of happiness.
Try applying to jobs in other cities that sound like places you might be interested in living but make sure to vet the cities beforehand. For instance, if you love sunshine and become easily depressed in dark climates, Seattle probably wouldn’t be the best place for you to move to; you might aim for states like Florida or California instead!
Meet New Friends
A sense of community can be a big indicator of personal happiness; when you feel connected to your surroundings, your sense of fulfillment will be higher. It can be hard to make friends as an adult. If you don’t meet new friends at work, where can you really meet them?
Moving to a new place can certainly help increase your chance of making new friends but again, you may want to think about how making friends would happen in a new city. Would you have the same limitations that you currently do?
In any case, you might have to go out of your way to make friends if it doesn’t come naturally! Join meetup groups, try apps like BumbleBFF, and put yourself out there in any way that you can. A social support system is an essential part of feeling safe, comfortable, and happy, and creating a new social circle may bring you a new outlook on life.
Should You Move to a New Place?
Before you decide to move, evaluate the list of all the reasons you are thinking about moving. Can any of these reasons be solved in your current area? Will these reasons still exist in a new place? By the end of the process, you should have been able to identify the cause of your feelings and most importantly, what you can do to make yourself happier in your current situation or in the future.
All in all, sometimes it’s as simple as this: it’s time for a personal reset and change of atmosphere. If that’s what you’re looking for, moving to a new place is a great option.
But remember, making a life change to improve your overall happiness and well-being doesn’t always have to entail relocating to a place 2,000 miles away. It might just mean moving to a different part of town and following the steps above to fill up your happy meter.
