The Scientific Study of "Cabin Fever"
Yes, this is a real thing. Not a movie. Not anything involving issues with "The Purge" and some apocalyptic universal one-day-in-a-year-crime-is-legal mentality. There have been cases of people going basically stir crazy in their homes due to a claustrophobic reaction resulting from isolation and small spaces (something to watch out for in a tiny Maine house? Maybe not.).
Interestingly enough, this phenomenon called "cabin fever" first recorded and studied back in 1838 isn't so much about the space as it is the options available to pass the time away. When you think about it like that, the extreme irritability, paranoia and restlessness typical of someone suffering from cabin fever's a no-brainer as far as the antidote -- you need to get out, man!
Walk out of the door. Into the sunshine. And explore, for crying out loud. After all, the outdoors even benefit marketing campaigns, and that's for people who are actually at work! We humans were meant to be outside; just ask Adam and Eve.
This doesn't mean, though, that you can't live on a boat, or a cabin, or a small mobile home for a lengthy period of time. You can. You just need to bring the outdoors into your daily living as well. The tiny isolated home you live in then just becomes an extension of your lifestyle.
This largely is supported by the fact that you can still go stir crazy even in a massive mansion (I'd venture to say that you can go crazier with all that space).
Home Isn't Just a 'House'
You, therefore, when approaching the H.O.P.E. Program for the prospect of getting a zero-down mortgage, don't worry so much about square footage. Just a thought. Think function versus trend or satisfaction. Happiness comes from within, and then with that happiness, you make the home. You don't make the home with an in-ground pool, trendy curb appeal, and a spiffy mailbox (although that could help a little, I guess).
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