psychology and familiarity

[plj8624]

I have been playing low limits for a while now and have had some success at party limit ring games just playing a fairly tight, conservative game and taking advantage of really awful players making atrocious mistakes. As my bankroll has grown, I have moved up from 1/2 through 2/4 and 3/6 to 5/10; generally moving up as my bankroll reaches about 400 big bets of the new limit. I have also played at some other sites like PokerStars, AbsolutePoker, and Pokerroom collecting bonuses.

Recently, however, I moved back to Party 2/4. My session logs show I have much better success there. My win rate is higher, in terms of both bets of money won. Also my swings are much lower and my peace of mind is much higher. I feel like I have much better control of the game, while at other sites and higher limits I often feel lost.

Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon? Do people perform better in more familiar settings? Do people reach a level they do well at and stay at that level (at least temporarily) because it is in their "comfort zone"? I would like to become a better player and win more, but I have found the friendly confines of Party 2/4 very comfortable.