Our happiness at home extends far beyond practical features like adequate heating, natural light, and ample space. It's profoundly shaped by the emotions we experience and express through our living spaces. Drawing from the Happiness Research Institute's authoritative GoodHome report—based on extensive surveys, independent research, and insights from experts in psychology, anthropology, and social sciences—five core emotions emerge as key drivers: pride, comfort, identity, security, and control. Pride tops the list as the most impactful, yet the rarest.
The Five Core Emotions
These emotions encapsulate our fundamental human needs and powerfully predict overall home satisfaction. The Happy Home Score, derived from respondents rating their happiness with home on a 0-10 scale, classifies scores of 7 or higher as a 'happy home' and 6 or below as 'less happy at home.'
Here's how each contributes, ranked by importance:
Pride
Pride stems from personal achievements, such as home improvements or cherished possessions. It alone explains 44% of the variance in home happiness—making it the dominant factor.
Comfort
Ranking second at 25%, comfort is a mental sanctuary: feeling truly at ease, stress-free, and able to retreat from the world when needed.
Identity
At 17%, identity reflects how our home mirrors who we are—through style, decor, colors, furniture, photos, and mementos. Data shows strong links between identity and pride.
Security
Accounting for 10%, security means physical safety, free from threats like leaks, mold, poor sanitation, or structural issues.
Control
The smallest slice at 4%, control is the empowerment to make decisions about finances, renovations, and daily life in the home.
Country Comparisons: Where Homes Spark the Most Joy
Across borders, these emotions unite us more than they divide. Yet, the GoodHome report—surveying 13,489 people—reveals notable differences.
Dutch Homes Lead the Way
The Netherlands boasts the highest Happy Home Score at 7.69, followed closely by Germany (7.60) and Denmark (7.47).
