Multi Criteria, Network Effects
The Moving Decision
The Moving Decision is a Multi Criteria and Network Effects scenario. The core lesson: Financial gains from moving are often offset by social network replacement costs. A job in another city pays 25% more and is better for your career. You'd be leaving 8 years of friendships, family nearby, and a community you actually like. DecisionPlay maps the players, payoffs, and equilibrium dynamics that shape how this situation typically resolves.
The situation
A job in another city pays 25% more and is better for your career. You'd be leaving 8 years of friendships, family nearby, and a community you actually like. Your spouse is willing to go. You have young kids.
Background
Research on geographic mobility consistently finds that moves for higher pay rarely increase long-term happiness. The income gain is real and measurable; the social network loss is diffuse and invisible in financial planning. But social networks are among the strongest predictors of wellbeing, and rebuilding them from scratch takes years.
What this reveals
Thick social capital: the invisible asset in relocation decisions
Financial models of relocation decisions include salary, cost of living, and taxes. They almost never include social network replacement cost, the years of investment required to rebuild friendships, community ties, and local knowledge from scratch. Research on geographic mobility finds that moves for higher pay usually don't increase long-term happiness because the financial gains are real and measurable while the social losses are diffuse and invisible in planning.
How to counter it: Before any major relocation, force yourself to estimate the social rebuild timeline honestly. Ask: 'When will I have a friend I can call at 11pm in this new city?' If the answer is 'years from now,' factor that into the decision at full weight.
A question to sit with
If you had to rebuild your entire social network from scratch, how long would it take? Does that change how you think about your current network?
Frequently asked questions
- What game theory concept does The Moving Decision illustrate?
- The Moving Decision illustrates Multi Criteria, Network Effects. Financial gains from moving are often offset by social network replacement costs.
- What is the situation in The Moving Decision?
- A job in another city pays 25% more and is better for your career. You'd be leaving 8 years of friendships, family nearby, and a community you actually like. Your spouse is willing to go.
- What does The Moving Decision reveal about how people decide?
- Thick social capital: the invisible asset in relocation decisions. Financial models of relocation decisions include salary, cost of living, and taxes. They almost never include social network replacement cost, the years of investment required to rebuild friendships, community ties, and local knowledge from scratch. Research on geographic mobility finds that moves for higher pay usually don't increase long-term happiness because the financial gains are real and measurable while the social losses are diffuse and invisible in planning.
- How do you avoid the trap in The Moving Decision?
- Before any major relocation, force yourself to estimate the social rebuild timeline honestly. Ask: 'When will I have a friend I can call at 11pm in this new city?' If the answer is 'years from now,' factor that into the decision at full weight.
- What is the research behind The Moving Decision?
- Research on geographic mobility consistently finds that moves for higher pay rarely increase long-term happiness. The income gain is real and measurable; the social network loss is diffuse and invisible in financial planning. But social networks are among the strongest predictors of wellbeing, and rebuilding them from scratch takes years.
- How long does The Moving Decision take to play?
- About 10 min, at core difficulty, across 4 decision points. It runs in your browser with no account and no sign-in.
Keep exploring
More Personal Decisions scenarios, or browse all scenarios. New to this? Start with how DecisionPlay works or the game theory glossary.
Topics: relocation, social-capital, network-effects, career