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Original Article

There’s No Place Like a Neurotic’s Home

Neuroticism Moderates the Prioritization of Restorative Properties in Home Environments

Published Online:November 22, 2016https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000213

Abstract

Abstract. In addition to serving many practical needs for human beings, territories also serve the psychological function of being restorative, helping to facilitate the regulation of residents’ thoughts and moods. In this paper, it was hypothesized that individuals high in neuroticism would be particularly likely to prioritize the restorative properties of their home environments, in light of previous research demonstrating their reduced capacity to regulate internally. Drawing on Attention Restoration Theory (ART), this paper reports a pair of studies testing this hypothesis using both an online community sample (Study 1; n = 380) and undergraduate sample (Study 2; n = 101). In both studies, neuroticism enhanced the relationship between residents’ satisfaction with their home environment and their impressions of its restorative properties (e.g., fascination and extent). Conversely, high neuroticism reduced the relationship between satisfaction and the perceived compatibility of the setting to the resident. These results demonstrate how neuroticism guides residents’ sensitivity to distinct design features within their territories.

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