Person-Environment Congruence and Sociability

The move from an isolating living environment to one rich in social opportunity had long-term (eight-year) effects of increased sociability and improved satisfaction among the majority of elderly in-movers who had chosen and been screened as suitable for the actively sociable situation, compared to similar persons who did not make the move. Individual differences among movers were important also: Persons most active socially and those rated high in extraversion, prior to the move, tended to make the greatest gains in social behavior and satisfaction. For a minority, effects were small or even reversed. The findings support the importance of congruence between the person's sociability needs and the environment's sociability resources.