Happiest States Are Conservative, More Rural, Least Taxed and Warmer
December 18, 2009
Study Finds that People Who Say They're Happy Usually Are -- and it Correlates with the Quality of Life
A study recently published in Science magazine has listed the happiest states in the United States. According to the study, which included 1.3 million respondents, the state of Louisiana was rated happiest while New York was rated the unhappiest of the 50 states and
the District of Columbia. Measuring the relative state of individual well-being and combining the results with data collected by the Centers for Disease Control, British University of Warwick professor Andrew Oswald and economist Stephen Wu of Hamilton College in New York were able to determine which states seemed to have the happiest population.
Wu and Oswald found they were a little surprised by the states that made the bottom of the list (New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York). "Many people think these states would be marvelous places to live in. The problem is that if too many individuals think that way, they move into those states, and the resulting congestion and house prices make it a non-fulfilling prophecy. In a way, it is like the stock market. If everyone thinks it would be great to buy stock X, that stock is generally already overvalued. Bargains in life are usually found outside the spotlight. It may be that exactly the same is true of the best places to live."
The findings of Oswald and Wu showed a predominant lean to happiest in the southern or warmer states, with eight of the Top 10 happiest states resting in warmer climes. The exceptions were Montana and Maine. The states listed as less happiest (unhappiest may be a bit too strong), all tended to be states with the nation's largest cities, such as California, Illinois, and New York.
The study also showed, according to the researchers, that the individual is a somewhat reliable guide as to the well-being of their given locale. In other words, if an individual says they're happy with where they live, they're generally telling the truth. The study also showed a high correlation between a given state's happiness level and their quality of life ranking.
It is undoubtedly a combination of all of the above and many other variables unlisted. As individuals, humans are most happy when they are comfortable, are allowed personal liberties, are less stressed, and have access to basic necessities. If one's current state of residence is not meeting one's requirements, then perhaps a move is in order. But be forewarned: A mass influx into the happiest states (Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida, Arizona, and Tennessee) will no doubt see a strain on the local infrastructure, a raising of local and state taxes to meet the demands a larger population brings (like expansions in government, highways, schools, etc.). Sadly, a mass exodus from, say, New York City might produce the same sort of problem -- the raising of taxes and prices to meet the loss of revenue in order to maintain the infrastructure already in place.
Still, all in all, happiness is relative, no matter what state you happen to be in...
I'm extremely happy until you start to talk about the joke we have for state government. :wallbash:
December 18, 2009
Study Finds that People Who Say They're Happy Usually Are -- and it Correlates with the Quality of Life
A study recently published in Science magazine has listed the happiest states in the United States. According to the study, which included 1.3 million respondents, the state of Louisiana was rated happiest while New York was rated the unhappiest of the 50 states and
the District of Columbia. Measuring the relative state of individual well-being and combining the results with data collected by the Centers for Disease Control, British University of Warwick professor Andrew Oswald and economist Stephen Wu of Hamilton College in New York were able to determine which states seemed to have the happiest population.
Wu and Oswald found they were a little surprised by the states that made the bottom of the list (New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York). "Many people think these states would be marvelous places to live in. The problem is that if too many individuals think that way, they move into those states, and the resulting congestion and house prices make it a non-fulfilling prophecy. In a way, it is like the stock market. If everyone thinks it would be great to buy stock X, that stock is generally already overvalued. Bargains in life are usually found outside the spotlight. It may be that exactly the same is true of the best places to live."
The findings of Oswald and Wu showed a predominant lean to happiest in the southern or warmer states, with eight of the Top 10 happiest states resting in warmer climes. The exceptions were Montana and Maine. The states listed as less happiest (unhappiest may be a bit too strong), all tended to be states with the nation's largest cities, such as California, Illinois, and New York.
The study also showed, according to the researchers, that the individual is a somewhat reliable guide as to the well-being of their given locale. In other words, if an individual says they're happy with where they live, they're generally telling the truth. The study also showed a high correlation between a given state's happiness level and their quality of life ranking.
It is undoubtedly a combination of all of the above and many other variables unlisted. As individuals, humans are most happy when they are comfortable, are allowed personal liberties, are less stressed, and have access to basic necessities. If one's current state of residence is not meeting one's requirements, then perhaps a move is in order. But be forewarned: A mass influx into the happiest states (Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida, Arizona, and Tennessee) will no doubt see a strain on the local infrastructure, a raising of local and state taxes to meet the demands a larger population brings (like expansions in government, highways, schools, etc.). Sadly, a mass exodus from, say, New York City might produce the same sort of problem -- the raising of taxes and prices to meet the loss of revenue in order to maintain the infrastructure already in place.
Still, all in all, happiness is relative, no matter what state you happen to be in...
I'm extremely happy until you start to talk about the joke we have for state government. :wallbash: