Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Another Humphreys rule
Half-baked thought, continuing with the Josephine Humphreys observation that happiness for each person is determined by ONE specification, which can usually be expressed as a formula with > or = or < between the parts. Not unlike the spec sheet for an electronic device. Works best when Vcc < 9V, fails when Vcc > 12V.
Rule: Families work best when their house has > 1 floor.
Thinking back to my own parents, and paging through families I knew in the 50s through 70s .... Families living in a tight one-story house had maximum tension and trouble. When the house has high ceilings and a usable basement or a usable second floor, there's a LOT more privacy and a LOT more separation of functions. Families in vertically oriented houses get along better.
(Possibly the rule is more about aspect ratio than floor count?)
Could be a reverse or mixed causation, but it's hard to see why a family with pre-existing tendencies toward tension would be more likely to choose a tight ranch house versus an old loose bungalow. It's not a question of price; may be a question of status.
¶ 8:36 AM 
