60 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2019
PRESS HOME
DOES NEWER AND SHINIER EQUAL HAPPIER?
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THE NOSTALGIA
CONNECTION
Krystine Batcho, a licensed psychologist
and professor of psychology at
Le Moyne College in Syracuse, says
people have an emotional investment
in their homes.
“When a person has some control
over their residence, psychologically
their home becomes an extension
of them,” she says. “More than a
collection of things, it’s also the reservoir
of some of life’s most important
experiences and memories. The
table in that kitchen is where people
who love one another shared more
than food and drink; they shared
the joys, successes, disappointments
and worries of their lives.”
Many homeowners seem dissatisfied
with the look and functionality
of their dwellings. Indeed, a swankier
kitchen or bathroom may be
breathtakingly transformative. But
is it truly warranted?
THE HAPPINESS FACTOR
Covering up a home’s former self has
its plusses and minuses. Like plastic
surgery, it should be done for the
right reasons. And like a facelift or
butt lift, it doesn’t guarantee happiness
in the long run.
“When someone feels stagnant or
stuck in their situation, their career,
relationship, or their personal
growth, they might hope that a major
change in their home will be the
catalyst to get things moving again,”
Batcho explains. “Renos to accommodate
changing physical or family
needs will be considered successful to
the extent that they meet those needs.
But the impacts of projects that are inspired
by emotional or psychological
motives are more complicated.”
For example, a reno that makes a
space more conducive to social interaction,
or more efficient, freeing
up time to spend with others, is
more likely to enhance a person’s
quality of life, or a new dishwasher
that gives a family more time
together can contribute to healthier
relationships.
“Objects do not, in themselves, make
people happy,” she says."How an
object is used affects how happy it
makes someone.”
IS NEWER BETTER?
A reno motivated by personal dissatisfaction
is less likely to resolve an
underlying unhappiness.
“People expect newer to be better
and that remodeling a space will
provide the same type of happiness
boost as from a newer model of TV
or smart phone,” Batcho notes. “If
the final result fails to meet expectations,
the disappointment can lead
to unhappiness and remorse. It’s important
to be realistic about what a
shiny new space will provide.”
Babylon Village designer Sandra
Asdourian says her clients fall into
one of three “emotional” groups.
“The first group wants to mix their
existing furnishings with new, for
an updated look,” she says. “The
second wants all-new ‘everything.’
The third has a hard time letting
go of something unless it’s broken
or unusable … but there are always
ways to update."
WANTS VS. NEEDS
It’s important to be practical.
“With my clients, the emotional
aspect of doing a reno is the desire
to update their décor to be in
alignment with their lifestyle,”
says Asdourian. “But in some cases,
the need is there — maybe the wife
loves to cook and the kitchen’s layout
doesn’t work for her cooking style or
comfort. Or, they have a new baby or
elderly parent living with them and
need an extra bedroom.
“My goal is to deliver a space they
can call home,” she continues. “It’s
a place for their family to not only
live in harmony but to be filled with
great memories."
SUNY Old Westbury Health and Society degree
earns national accreditation
The State University of New York at Old
Westbury Public Health department has earned
accreditation from the Council on Education for
Public Health for its Bachelor of Science in
Health and Society. The SUNY Old Westbury
degree program becomes the 14th stand-alone
baccalaureate program in the country to hold
this accreditation.
CEPH accreditation recognizes efforts to
provide quality education and prepare students
for impactful careers in public health after
graduation. CEPH is an independent agency
recognized by the U.S. Department of Education
to accredit schools of public health and public health programs offered in
settings other than schools of public health.
“CEPH accreditation is an outstanding affirmation of this program’s
quality and places it among the finest undergraduate programs of its kind
in the nation,” said Calvin O. Butts, III, president of SUNY Old Westbury.
Approximately 230 students were enrolled in the 2018-19 academic
Calvin O. Butts, III, president of SUNY Old Westbury
Learn more about the Health and Society degree program by visiting
www.oldwestbury.edu/health.
year in the Bachelor of Science in Health and
Society program, which has been offered at
SUNY Old Westbury since 1975.
The program prepares students for entry into
a broad range of professions in public health at
the local, state, and national levels and for
graduate study in public health. Graduates
have also embarked on successful careers in
hospitals and local non-profit health agencies,
and many go on to obtain training in health
professions including medicine, nursing,
physical and occupational therapy and
physician assistantship.
“Our students learn how to assess critically factors that contribute to the
health of populations, integrating real-world experience with coursework
and learning how to improve the public’s
health at the policy and the community level,”
said Martha Livingston, chair of the Public
Health department.
/health
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