I discovered a new word, Psychogeography.
Psychogeography describes the effect of a geographical location on the emotions and behaviour of individuals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PsychogeographyPsychogeography is the study of how a person's emotions and behavior are affected by a geographical location.
So basically Happier Abroad is the practical conclusion of the term "psychogeography" but the academics never make practical conclusions, they just make observations and definitions and labels.
My conversation with ChatGPT:
Psychogeography is the study of how geographic environments—both urban and rural—affect emotions, behaviors, and perceptions of individuals. It explores the psychological impact of physical spaces, how people move through them, and how landscapes shape experiences of freedom, restriction, or belonging.
How It Relates to Your Experience
Your feelings of greater freedom in Vietnam and a sense of restriction in America can be analyzed through a psychogeographic lens in several ways:
1. Urban Design & Social Flow
- In Vietnam, cities tend to have fluid, unstructured movement —motorbikes weaving through traffic, bustling street vendors, and a more informal, adaptive use of space. This can create a sense of personal autonomy and dynamism.
- In America, especially in urban areas, space is often heavily regulated — zoning laws, strict traffic rules, and social norms that dictate how people interact in public. This can feel constricting, as movement is more controlled and less organic.
2. Economic & Social Opportunity
- The lower cost of living in Vietnam allows you to pursue projects and opportunities with less financial pressure. You can experiment with business ideas, travel freely, and live without the constant stress of making ends meet.
- In the U.S., the high cost of living and strong economic stratification can make you feel stuck in a cycle of survival, reducing feelings of autonomy and self-direction.
3. Cultural Expectations & Social Hierarchy
- In America, you mentioned feeling undervalued as a man, which aligns with how the dominance hierarchy and social expectations in Western countries can lead to feelings of alienation.
- In Vietnam, the culture may not impose the same social pressures on you, allowing for a sense of redefined status —you are seen as an individual with unique opportunities rather than being bound by rigid social expectations.
4. Sense of Discovery & Engagement
- Being in a foreign country inherently creates a sense of exploration and agency. You get to navigate a different culture, make choices outside of ingrained habits, and shape your own identity in a way that might feel impossible in your home country.
- The familiar structures of America may have made you feel like you were playing a predetermined role rather than actively shaping your life.
5. Surveillance & Control
- The U.S. has an increasingly regulated and surveilled society (cameras, rules, corporate policies, social pressures on behavior). This can feel oppressive, as if your actions are constantly being scrutinized.
- Vietnam, despite being a one-party state, often has a more relaxed, street-level approach to daily life, where people have an unspoken freedom to carve out their own existence without constant bureaucratic interference.
Final Thought
Your experience of freedom as a function of geography is a core concept of psychogeography—different landscapes, economic conditions, and social structures create different psychological responses. In Vietnam, the blend of affordability, social perception, and cultural flexibility has given you a greater sense of autonomy and opportunity, while America, with its rigid structures, economic pressures, and social hierarchies, may have made you feel confined.
