Americans won’t embrace smaller homes until they trust society again.

America builds big houses. We’ve heard many reasons why: Consumers want it all. Builders make better margins. It’s a cultural expectation. But what if the deeper reason for our square footage fetish stems from anxiety, not from entitlement?
Before I explain, consider the miniscule housing sizes people accept in certain other countries. In Sweden or Norway, for example, many buyers seem satisfied living in 500-square-foot condos. In the U.S., the average new home size is closer to 2,000 square feet.