[Editor’s note: I’ve been off the road since March, helping out a sick friend. I stay in my van next to his 256-square-foot tiny house. I feel out of place whenever I’m in his home, not just because it’s his personal space, but also because it feels unsettlingly large. I find myself pacing, moving from one chair to another, from one corner to another, often settling in the small galley kitchen. I prefer being in the confines of my van. It’s not that I had adapted to that small space out of necessity. It has always felt like it was exactly the right size. That doesn’t surprise me. When I lived in buildings I spent most of my time in small spaces within them. So when I read this post Bob wrote several years ago it explained my preference for compact places.]
THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES about living in truly tiny places. I don’t mean a 400 square foot Tiny House. Only in Super-sized America would a 400 square foot home be considered tiny! No, I mean living in a truly tiny space like on a bicycle, in a Toyota Prius, an SUV, a 35 square foot camper or a 72 square foot extended van.
The first question anyone asks when they hear about living in a car, van or RV is, “How can anyone stand to live in such a small space?” The simple answer is that humans evolved in nature and so for most of our history our homes were always tiny, temporary and very simple; living in a tiny space is normal for humans because it’s what we’ve always done. What’s abnormal is living in a huge, empty space that requires a huge amount of sacrifice, money, effort and time to maintain! No human ever lived that way until the last 10,000 years and even then only the very rich and wealthy did.
Because of our cultural conditioning we actually believe we need all that space to be happy, but it’s not true, in fact it’s just the opposite. Our huge homes are making us miserable because we’re psychologically designed to be happiest in a tiny place. Therefore living in huge empty spaces is very unhealthy mentally and emotionally. In fact I’ve known several people whose therapists had suggested living in a van as a form of therapy. How could living in a tiny space be therapeutic? A major part of your life is directly controlled by something commonly know as the “Lizard Brain” and it requires a tiny space to be happy. If it ain’t happy, you’ll never be happy!
The Triune Brain Theory and How It can Make Your Life Much Better
Scientists have a theory called the Triune Brain and it basically says when you study the human brain you can see three clear evolutionary steps; 1) the ancient Lizard Brain that automatically controls Fight or Flight, 2) the Mammal Brain which controls feeding and feelings and, 3) the Higher Human brain that is creative and thinking.
You may not like to think you are influenced or controlled by the ancient Lizard Brain but you are. Much of what we do is an automatic response based on the powerful hormones controlled by the Lizard Brain. Most of the world’s senseless violence, fear, rage and even addictions can be traced directly back to it. In most ways our higher-order brains do control the Lizard Brain but the more you can bring them into alignment the less conflict and stress there will be in your life. You do that by understanding the needs of the Lizard Brain and giving it what it wants as much as you can.
A perfect example of that is the “gut feelings” we get that warn us of danger before our higher thinking mind can even begin to see it. The most ancient parts of our brain were developed strictly for our survival and they automatically process much of the sensory input (sights, sounds and smells) flowing into our brains allowing our higher brains to do other things. That internal “knowing” that something is wrong is the Lizard Brain keeping you safe. It’s designed to bypass the higher thought process completely, greatly increasing your reaction times. A wise person works with it and tries to develop it.
What does any of this have to do with the size of your house?
A tremendous amount! The lizard brain craves a tiny, simple, controllable, defensive home. You can see how that makes perfect sense — the Lizard brain only cares about survival and a small space greatly increases your odds of survival. That’s why so many animals den in tiny spaces. I saw that in action just today.
I’m at Pahrump, Nevada and today they had a Balloon Festival and there were about 25 balloons in the air and they were all using their powerful propane heaters to get them to float. Those heaters are very loud, and loud noises terrify my dog Cody. Like all Mammals, he has a Lizard Brain and it tells him to run away from loud noises — which he did. It also tells him to seek shelter in the tiniest space he can find — which he also did.
Whenever there is a loud noise like gunshots, fireworks, thunder or balloons he runs and hides in one of two places:
• In my converted cargo trailer I have a shelf unit and one of the shelves is about even with my bed; it’s hard to reach so I leave the back part of it empty. It’s a very tiny space, 14 inches high, 24 inches deep and 16 inches wide. Cody can just barely cram himself into it but he always makes a beeline for it whenever he is scared.
• The other place he loves to hide is the foot-well of the drivers side of my van. Again, it’s a tiny place with the steering wheel and foot pedals poking at him, but he somehow manages to stuff himself into it.
Why does Cody run to those tiny places whenever he’s terrified? Because it calms his Lizard Brain and he feels as safe and secure as he possibly can under great danger. Animals know instinctively to pacify their Lizard Brains and keep them calm by running to, and living in, a tiny place for safety. Too bad we aren’t as smart as they are!
What’s Wrong With Us?
Humans also instinctively head toward tiny spaces, but since the rise of civilization we’ve been manipulated and brainwashed into choosing huge homes, even though they are very bad for us. Capitalism depends on home ownership for continual growth, so we’ve been trained to seek it out. Under the influence of brainwashing our higher brain keeps telling us how good for us it is but deep in our core it makes us miserable. That creates a conflict which is one of the primary sources of human misery in the developed world. We see the result of it everywhere: depression, anxiety, addiction, suicide, obesity, paranoia and rage.
Let me give you one small example: hoarding. Why do people hoard so much stuff they have no room left in their houses? Their Lizard Brain demands it!! For whatever reason they are closer to and more in touch with that part of their brain and it compels them to fill their homes until finally they are a living in a tiny space. They NEED it to truly feel safe. Obviously they’ve carried it much too far, but the instinct to live tiny is very healthy and normal for all of us.
It also explains why so many of us “normal” people continually buy more stuff to put in our homes. We psychologically hate living in all that huge, empty space and we NEED to fill it. We may not be as bad as the hoarders but how many of us can’t fit our cars into our garages because it’s too full of stuff?
A whole industry has sprung into existence because of our Lizard Brains’s need for a tiny space: Storage Units. Society tells us we NEED more space so we buy a bigger house but it’s emptiness makes us very unhappy so we keep buying more stuff in a futile effort to fill the empty space of our home. Ultimately, we have to rent a storage unit to put it all in. It makes us happy for a little while, but then our fix of the drug wears off so we NEED to keep buying more stuff!! Then we NEED a bigger house and then a bigger storage unit, and of course, we NEED to fill it all!!
You and I are the big losers in this viscous circle, but who’s the winner? Government and it’s masters the corporations. Don’t let them win.
There are only two things the Lizard and Mammal Brain inside you NEEDS to be happy and content:
Lots of time in the wide open spaces of nature.
A cozy, uncluttered tiny space to retreat to for safety and comfort.
Considering that nearly everyone in America lives exactly the opposite of that, is it any wonder that we are generally so unhappy?
Because of your cultural conditioning, you might be thinking that none of this applies to you, and you may be right; but I suspect you aren’t so unique. My guess is if you’d give it a chance, living in the tiny space of a car, van or RV would make your heart sing in a way it never has before! The fact that you’ve gone out of your way to read my blog strongly suggests that’s true! Why not give it a try?
You probably have a car already, how hard would it be to try to make a bed in it and spend a night in it in your driveway, or drive out to a campground and spend a night? Just remember that it’s normal to hate it at first and that it would be much better in a mini-van or a van.
Give it a try, you have almost nothing to lose and everything to gain!
So true! I have been lucky enough to have had it all, and I was always the happiest when living in a camper and enjoying the wide open spaces during the day!!!
While I like a small space, the thought of living in a car doesn’t appeal to me. I have a van and I’ve found that after a couple of days I’m disliking it very much.
My plan is to see if a travel trailer would work for me. I do need to get up and walk, even if only a few feet. And sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate for a brief walk outside.
I went from two bedroom house to car (Honda Accord) to minivan and the minivan is perfect.
My no build build is like Lego. I change it around to suit my changing needs, sometimes daily.
It is as comforting as a child’s blanket fort and it is my own. After buying a house for my landlord, who locked me out in the middle of a pandemic to go die, I realized that I had been homeless all my life before I bought the minivan.
I love my beautiful, cozy home. She has a few miles on her, but I’m thrilled that she’s reasonably sound enough to drive to Quartzsite where homeowners like myself are welcomed.
I feel the same way. My minivan is so comforting. Just like a child’s blanket
I took out my console and an old cooler I had replaces it. To go from front to back, I just lift it up onto the passenger seat.
I love my minivan. Comforting is a good description.
It is perfect also for stealth parking to sleep.
Fantastic article. I just finished watching 13 seasons of Hoarders on my phone. I came to Bob’s conclusion. After the show empties out peoples houses, the houses are bare. Often without furniture if their furniture. Even though I’m not a hoarder, I have been through many of the same triggers such as grief and abuse. I KNOW these people are going to fill up their houses again once the cameras leave.
As for me, I live in one small room of my house. Table, bed, chair. The rest of the house is bare. I’ve been downsizing my way out of here for a long time. My goal is hatchback car camping. Vans are too big. The reason I’m still here is that I hate driving and don’t have nomadic inclinations. So living in one room of an otherwise empty house might become my endgame. Especially because the house is paid off.
I’m guessing because I’ve always wanted a camper and made houses from the cardboard box the fridge came in, and becausebi was always jealous of my friends who had a real playhouse, i am the person this article is for.
Campers are our adult playhouses! Also man caves, she sheds, etc. I’m 51 and have the strongest urge to build a little shelter on my 8×8 deck just to hang out in.
My bf was a hoarder. he saw value in everything even though there was no one to sell anything to. he’s gone now. there’s so much space in the condo now and it already looks cleaner.
It’s not about the amount of space, it’s what you do with the space. There’s plenty of people that have small spaces and hoard them up to the brink. There’s also people with tons of space that are happy because they’re fulfilling a purpose. As usual Bob is way off on any kind of sound philosophical analysis. Tons of assumptions and surface level deductions. But on the flip side, he does inspire people to try different things and approaches to life, which you gotta give him credit for; regardless of how shoddy his logic is in explaining it. My advice, do what suits you. I live in my Tacoma. I enjoy it. I don’t think most people would and I don’t think most people would enjoy living in an RV full time either. There’s no one way to live that’s better than another. It’s up to your standards.
That explains why living in this one bedroom apartment feels too big. The high ceilings here only make it worse. I loved my van so hated having to give it up. I’d buy another van in a minute if I could still drive safely.
Linda, I just finished the book “Pattern Language “. It’s about designing living spaces, from town planning down to individual rooms. One point it makes is that high ceilings are for public places. Private spaces need to be smaller – cozier and more intimate.
Are there any alcoves in your apartment you could locate a favorite chair and small table? Could you put a canopy over the bed? Worse case, suspend some sheets horizontally from the ceiling. Create your space!
Great article, Bob. Really appreciate your thoughtfulness, nomadic and commonsense philosophy, based on your own lived experience, also. As a kid I liked small spaces – making dens and forts. And as an adult, I’m on the minimalist path. I’ve camped out of a Prius and, more recently a RAV4 – and have thrived (except when the winds picked up in Pahrump, in March). I was all set to buy a 6×12 cargo trailer, but I found out this morning that it would exceed the non-braked towing rating of my vehicle. I see it as a sign to go back to vehicle dwelling, with tent, and purging my storage unit. I meant to ask you, also, why you wound up getting rid of your own cargo trailer. See you at the RTR. Cheers, Jon.