Moving to a warmer climate rarely improves long-term happiness.

A 1998 survey found that while Midwesterners expected Californians to be happier, there was no significant difference in reported life satisfaction between the two groups.

This occurs because people focus on a single, salient factor—like weather—while ignoring the complex reality of daily life. The brain gives too much weight to the features that are most easily imagined, while the rest of life remains unchanged.