We are obsessed with moving. Whether it is the digital nomad life or the constant "hustle" that requires jumping from city to city for a better paycheck, our culture treats being unattached as a virtue. It's almost like we've collectively decided that belonging to a specific patch of dirt is a weakness. But lately, something is shifting. People are burnt out. They’re realizing that the need for roots isn't just some sentimental leftover from our grandparents' generation—it’s a biological and psychological necessity that we’ve been ignoring at our own peril.
Think about it.
In 2024, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued an advisory on the "epidemic of loneliness and isolation." He wasn't just talking about people needing more friends on Instagram. He was talking about a lack of social connection that has the same impact on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. When we don't have roots, we don't have a safety net. We have "networks," which are great for LinkedIn, but they don't bring you soup when you’re sick.
What the Need for Roots Actually Looks Like in 2026
When we talk about the need for roots, we aren't necessarily saying you have to live in the same house where you were born. That’s a bit much for most of us. Instead, it's about "place-attachment," a concept environmental psychologists have been studying for decades. It’s the emotional bond between a person and a specific location. It's knowing which floorboard creaks and which neighbor is going to complain if your dog barks at 7:00 AM.
Honestly, the modern world tries to sell us "placelessness." One Starbucks looks like every other Starbucks. One luxury apartment complex in Denver looks exactly like one in Charlotte. This "genericization" of our environment makes it harder to feel like we belong anywhere. When every place is the same, no place matters.
Simone Weil, the French philosopher, wrote back in the 1940s that "to be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul." She argued that we need to receive most of our life—both physical and moral—through our participation in a community. If you’re constantly "optimizing" your life by moving to the next tech hub, you’re essentially living a life of permanent transition. You're a guest in your own life.
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The Biology of Belonging
It isn't just in your head. It’s in your nervous system.
Our ancestors survived because they knew their terrain. They knew where the water was, which plants were poisonous, and who in the tribe could be trusted. This created a sense of "environmental competence." When we move every two years, our brains stay in a state of low-level hyper-vigilance. We are constantly trying to map a new territory.
The Myth of the Global Citizen
There was a time, maybe ten years ago, when being a "global citizen" was the ultimate goal. You’ve probably seen the tropes: the laptop on a beach in Bali, the minimalist carry-on bag, the lack of "stuff." But there’s a cost to that freedom. You lose the "thick ties" that come from long-term presence.
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Sociologists often distinguish between "thin ties" (acquaintances, baristas, coworkers) and "thick ties" (family, lifelong friends, neighbors who have seen you at your worst). You can’t build thick ties in six months. It takes years of showing up to the same PTA meetings, the same local parks, and the same dive bars. The need for roots is essentially a hunger for these thick ties.
Why Gen Z is Staying Put
Surprisingly, the data shows that younger generations might be catching on faster than the Millennials did. While Millennials were the "renter generation," recent housing trends suggest a desperate scramble for stability among those in their mid-20s. They’ve seen the loneliness of the "hustle" and they want out. They want a "third place"—a spot that isn't work and isn't home—where people actually know their name.
- Environmental Stewardship: You don't care about a local river if you're leaving next year. Roots make you a better citizen.
- Economic Stability: Contrary to the idea that moving helps your career, staying put allows you to build local capital and reputation.
- Mental Health: Continuity of care with doctors, therapists, and friends reduces the "cognitive load" of life.
How to Build Roots When You Move Constantly
Look, sometimes you have to move. The economy is weird, jobs change, and life happens. But even if you’re a transplant, you can satisfy the need for roots by being intentional. It’s about moving from being a "resident" to being a "denizen."
Start by "over-investing" in your immediate surroundings. Go to the same coffee shop every single day. Don't switch it up. Talk to the person behind the counter. Join a boring local committee—maybe the neighborhood watch or a community garden. These things feel like chores, but they are the literal threads that weave you into the fabric of a place.
It’s also about history. Read a book about the town you live in. Why is that street named that? What used to be where the mall is now? When you understand the history of a place, you stop seeing it as a backdrop for your life and start seeing it as a living organism you’re a part of.
Actionable Steps to Get Rooted
If you feel untethered, you don't need a meditation app. You need a lawnmower, or a library card, or a regular table at a diner. Here is how you actually start:
- Commit to a "No-Move" Window: Decide you will not move for at least three to five years. This psychological commitment changes how you interact with your environment. You start fixing things instead of ignoring them.
- The 5-10-15 Rule: Learn the names of 5 neighbors, the history of 10 local landmarks, and support 15 local businesses exclusively.
- Volunteer for the "Uncool" Stuff: Don't just go to the big festivals. Help clean up a park. Serve on a board. Doing the "work" of a community makes you part of it.
- Create Rituals: Whether it’s a Sunday walk in the same woods or a Friday night pizza at the same local joint, rituals create a sense of temporal and spatial belonging.
The need for roots isn't about being stagnant. It’s about having a foundation strong enough to let you grow tall. Without it, you’re just tumbleweed—and eventually, the wind blows tumbleweeds away.
Invest in your place. Stay a while. The world will still be there when you decide to look up, but you'll have something much better: a home.
Practical Next Steps: Identify one local event happening this week—a town hall, a high school football game, or a library book sale. Attend it with the sole intention of observing the "social ecosystem" of your area. Reach out to one neighbor you haven't spoken to yet and offer a simple gesture, like sharing extra garden produce or just introducing yourself. These small, tactile interactions are the building blocks of true rootedness.