SATISFACTION
Does living in California make people happy? Only in their imagination, "Where someone lives has a surprisingly small effect on how happy they are," says David A. Schkade, Ph.D. He and Daniel Kahneman, Ph.D., looked at college students in two different regions of the United States, the Midwest and the West, and found no difference in students' self-satisfaction whether they lived in Michigan, Ohio or California.
The University of Texas researchers were not looking to pull up stakes. "We are interested in people's ability to predict how they will do in a new situation," says Schkade, a professor of management.
The students were asked to imagine themselves living in California. Invariably, no matter where the student lived, they predicted that someone like them would be happier on the West Coast. "Without direct experience to rely on, we often focus on easily observed features of a new location," observes Schkade. "Unfortunately, the most obvious difference, such as climate, is not always the most important determinant of happiness."
