According to a 231-person study conducted at the University of Virginia, people who move frequently are less involved in community events. Students with more than two previous residences were less likely to participate in clubs or sports with the other students. This trait may come from the fact that frequent movers don't form strong bonds with members of the community. This may be a defensive trait used to shield them from emotional pain when they have to leave friends behind when they relocate.
People who move frequently may exhibit more signs of shyness than people who stay within a community for extended periods. Moving to a location full of people who have previously formed bonds and friendships is never an easy task. It is hard to penetrate the cliques that already exist to become a member of a group. This can cause people who move frequently to become less than willing to share their thoughts with others. This may be an attempt to defend themselves from rejection from the pre-existing community members.
When you live in a close community for most of your life, you may not realize how much you come to depend on your friends and neighbors. Living as a singular person without close connections in a pre-existing community forces a person to become self-reliant quickly. Without close associations, the frequent mover has no familiars to rely on for quick assistance. This means frequent movers may be comfortable living on their own and are capable of sustaining an independent lifestyle.
People who move frequently prefer to hear compliments on their personal achievements rather than their social achievements. For example, a frequent mover would prefer a compliment about his personal independence as opposed to a compliment about a recent achievement he accomplished as a group member. This is because a frequent mover tends to consider his "personal self," the independent person he is, more than he considers his "collective self," the part of him that contributes to society.
