Why a Bigger House Won't Cool Your Restlessness

There is a particular kind of customer I am seeing more of now than I did twenty years ago. She is in her early sixties. Her kids are grown and gone. And she has just sold the four thousand square foot house on the north end of town and bought a fourteen hundred square foot bungalow built in 1958 with a one ton condenser on a pad next to the bedroom window. She called me to look at the bungalow's system before she moved in. The whole house could be cooled by what used to cool just the bonus room over her old garage. I said, ma'am, this is going to be a different experience for you. She said, that's the point. I asked her, gently, what made her do it. She said, I got tired of dusting rooms I never went into. In 1971 Philip Brickman and Donald Campbell described the hedonic treadmill. People adjust to their circumstances, good and bad. We get a bigger house, we are happier for a while, then we drift back to baseline. The treadmill works for losses too. The thing we get used to, we get used to. She had spent thirty years on the treadmill in the up direction, and every time she added more she felt the same. So she did something most people do not do. She got off the treadmill on purpose. Duane Elgin called this voluntary simplicity in 1981. Not poverty, not deprivation. A quiet recalculation. The person decides the cost of maintaining the bigger life is higher than the cost of letting it go, and they let it go. I went back two weeks after she moved in. The system was running well. She made me coffee in a mug older than I am. She said, I sleep better here. She said, I dust the whole house in twenty minutes. The hedonic treadmill is real. The thing we add, we get used to. The thing we subtract, we also get used to. The question is not how to add until we are happy. The question is how much we are willing to manage in exchange for what. Core line: "I did not realize how much of my life I was spending managing things I did not love." Give Us A Shout Thanks for tuning in to Hartzell's Heat & Air, your trusted HVAC experts in Oklahoma and beyond. From Kingfisher to coast-to-coast consulting, we design, install, and maintain smart, efficient systems that deliver year-round comfort. We're employee-owned, family-run, and powered by 45+ years of experience. Whether it's AI-powered thermostats, geothermal systems, or classic tune-ups, we deliver upfront pricing, expert care, and warranties that back it all up. 🛠️ Book Online:https://book.housecallpro.com/book/Hartzells-Heat--Air/4a569038b3dc460daf2d5f6497b18351?v2=true🌐 www.hartzellsheatair.com📞 (405) 375-4822 📲 Follow us for tips, updates, and real-world installs:YouTube: @hartzellsheatair6003X: https://x.com/HartzellsHVACFacebook: facebook.com/hartzellsheatairLinkedIn: Dave Hartzell Built on trust. Backed by warranty. Designed for comfort.