Home

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For other uses, see Home (disambiguation).

House In Pathanapuram, Kerala-India

A home is a place where a person, family, or group of people live together. A home usually acts as a place to sleep and store personal property, and contains sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food.

Concept

While a house home (or other residential dwelling) is often referred to as a "home," the concept of home is broader than a physical dwelling. Home is often a place of refuge and safety, where worldly cares fade and the things and people that one loves becomes the focus. Many people think of home in terms of where they grew up, and "home" can even be a time rather than a place. The word "home" is also used for various residential institutions which aspire to create a home-like atmosphere, such as a retirement home, a nursing home, a group home (an orphanage for children, a retirement home for adults, a treatment facility, etc.), a foster home, etc.

There are cultures which lack fixed homes, with nomadic people often moving their homes from place to place.

Psychological impact

Since it can be said that humans are generally creatures of habit, the state of a person's home has been known to physiologically influence their behavior, emotions, and overall mental health. For example, in the introduction to the film Patch Adams, home sweet home, the concept of "home" is compared to the human need for peaceful sanctuary, the absence of it thus leading to restlessness. Such restlessness, as can be seen by that particular case, may lead to depression and, ultimately, to a loss of sanity. A return to home that follows an earlier abandonment is often associated with nostalgia.

To a Family

To a family , a home is , well as the New York Times puts it, " a place to go to, not just a house, but a city, family or something of sentimental value"

See also

• Home improvement
• Homelessness
• Human habitat
• Real estate