Happiest U.S. states are wealthy and tolerant
◙ Xa Ta Zac Xa Ta Amac ~ The Last 1100 days ~ Unc!e W@!!y ☻☺☻
Utah tops list, followed closely by Washington and Minnesota, study
shows
By Jeanna Bryner
updated 1:18 p.m. ET Nov. 10, 2009
Though you might not be able to run away from your problems, moving to
another state could be good for the soul. New research suggests U.S.
states with wealthier, better educated and more tolerant residents are
also happier on average.
The reasoning is that wealthy states can provide infrastructure and so
it's easier for residents to get their needs met. In addition, states
with a greater proportion of artists and gays would also be places
where residents can freely express themselves.
On average, well-being was highest in the Mountain states and West
Coast states, followed by the Eastern Seaboard and then the Midwest
and Southern states.
The researchers note that because a state scores high or low doesn't
mean you could pluck out a resident and expect that person to be
appropriately cheery or depressed. And not every state in the union
sits exactly where you might expect on the list.
"We can only make generalizations about groups of people," said study
researcher Jason Rentfrow of the University of Cambridge in England.
"These results don't say wealthy people are happier than unwealthy
people, [or that] people who live in areas where people are wealthy
are happier."
Happy states
Rentfrow and his colleagues came to their conclusions by analyzing
data collected from more than 350,000 individuals who were interviewed
between Jan. 2 and Dec. 30, 2008 as part of the Gallup Organization's
Well-Being Index. The index includes six types of well-being: overall
evaluation of their lives, emotional health, physical health, healthy
behaviors (such as whether a person smokes or exercises), and job
satisfaction.
Here are the top 10 states and their average well-being scores (out of
a possible 100 points):
Utah: 69.2
Hawaii: 68.2
Wyoming: 68
Colorado: 67.3
Minnesota: 67.3
Maryland: 67.1
Washington: 67.1
Massachusetts: 67
California: 67
Arizona: 66.8
See the full list of 50 states here.
What makes us happy
To figure out why some states scored higher or lower than others, the
researchers looked at the relationship between happiness levels and
other variables, including economic indicators, education levels,
personality factors and levels of inclusiveness.
They found that states with higher gross regional product (GRP) per
capita (a state's level of productivity and standard of living),
income levels and median housing value, were significantly happier
than poorer areas. That's not too surprising, Rentfrow noted, as
wealthier individuals tend to be healthier, because they are better
educated and thus more knowledgeable about healthy behaviors, and they
also likely have health
insurance.
The happier states also tended to have a greater proportion of
residents with advanced educations whose jobs were considered "super-
creative," such as architecture, engineering, computer and math
occupations, library positions, arts and design work, as well as
entertainment, sports and media occupations.
The number of bohemians (such as artists), gays and foreign-born
residents also boosted happiness scores. Take California, Minnesota
and Massachusetts, which had higher inclusiveness scores and also made
it to the top 10 list for well-being.
"We view that as suggesting that in these types of areas, there's more
tolerance and with this increased tolerance people are freer to
express themselves and to be who they are without feeling as though
they have to censor themselves or conform a bit more to the status
quo," Rentfrow told LiveScience.
Of the personality factors, neuroticism took a toll on a state's
cheery count, suggesting people living in the happiest states are more
relaxed than their gloomy counterparts. For instance, West Virginia,
Mississippi and Kentucky were ranked as highly neurotic and showed
lower well-being scores. Utah, on the other hand, had a significantly
lower level of neuroticism than other states.
Some caveats
The new results, which are detailed in the December issue of the
Journal of Research in Personality, do have their limitations.
For one, the differences in well-being are small, a range of about 10
points on a 100-point scale. "When we compare nations, there are much
larger differences, say, between a poor African nation and Denmark,"
said Ed Diener, a psychologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign who studies well-being. Diener wasn't involved in the
current research.
For instance, while Utah is about 12 percent happier than Kentucky,
Diener said that Denmark has scored about double that of Togo, Africa,
regarding well-being. Even so, Diener noted, "given the strong pattern
of explainable findings found by the authors, I would say they are
definitely onto something interesting and important."
In addition, not all states fit into the researcher's overall model of
what makes for a happy area. For instance, the top three states, Utah,
Hawaii and Wyoming are outliers, as they aren't considered the
wealthiest of the pack.
Diener points out that Utah is conservative, and research has
suggested such right-leaning individuals are a bit happier than
others. Hawaii's ranking could be due to a relaxed culture, he said,
adding that the three states may just have strong families and social
relationships.
Take-home message
Most research on who's happiest has focused on differences between
countries rather than differences within say the United States. And
those studies with a state focus have not included factors to explain
the reasons well-being was higher in one region compared with another,
as the new study did.
"The fact that there are differences in well-being between states
isn't of much use unless we know that the differences are related to
something," Rentfrow said. "If there are differences in well-being,
but those differences are not related to anything, then it's not clear
that the differences are really important."
As a result, the new results have practical implications.
"If I were a state government person, I could use the information, if
my state scored high, to attract new talent," Diener said. "After all,
people will want to go to happy places and be around happy people."
And for low-scoring states Diener suggests figuring out changes that
should be made to boost such scores. "Our research shows that happy
individuals are on average healthier and live longer, have higher
incomes, better social relationships and are better citizens," Diener
said. "Therefore, aiming to increase the happiness in one state is a
valid goal."
▬▬
HOOROO
UNCLE WALLY
Werewolfy
> Though you might not be able to run away from your problems, moving to
> another state could be good for the soul. New research suggests U.S.
> states with wealthier, better educated and more tolerant residents are
> also happier on average.
Well my word. Fancy that. Who would have thought such a thing? Gosh.
Heaven's above.
Someone paid for these 'findings'..someone believed this was a vital
study?
Fucking Hell Wally. Earthquakes, Mad fucking Mayans and now this
nonsense.
Werewolfy
JTEM
Werewolfy <Werewol...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> W@!!y ☻☺☻ <sgdec2...@yahoo.ca> wrote:
> > Happiest U.S. states are wealthy and tolerant
> Well my word. Fancy that. Who would have thought
> such a thing? Gosh. Heaven's above.
What gets me is that it's so obvious, yet most of us
were always spoon-fed the notion that "Money can't
buy happiness."
It does. It always has. We've always known it.
Werewolfy
> What gets me is that it's so obvious, yet most of us
> were always spoon-fed the notion that "Money can't
> buy happiness."
>
> It does. It always has. We've always known it.
Couldn't agree more; it's one of those very silly 'homespun' truths
(Ho Ho) that permeate our lives from childhood, and are brought out
again by a certain type of moralist. This particular one has become a
panacea for those who fail in life..they can alway's fool themselves
with the silly addage, '"Ah well, money can't buy happiness"
Doesn't work though...lack of money certainly 'buy's' misery !
Leads me on to that silly saying, 'In God we Trust'. Someone forgot
to add the ending, it should read, 'In God we trust.. after everything
else fails, or we go daft in the head'. I imagine a squad of soldiers
approaching a field of land mines, and the Sergeant shouting, "Never
mind the metal detectors, waste of time. C'mon boys, quick march
forward...In God We Trust'
Werewolfy
Bob
>
> On 13 Nov, 08:51, JTEM <jte...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > What gets me is that it's so obvious, yet most of us
> > were always spoon-fed the notion that "Money can't
> > buy happiness."
>
> > It does. It always has. We've always known it.
>
> Couldn't agree more; it's one of those very silly 'homespun' truths
> (Ho Ho) that permeate our lives from childhood, and are brought out
> again by a certain type of moralist. This particular one has become a
> panacea for those who fail in life..they can alway's fool themselves
> with the silly addage, '"Ah well, money can't buy happiness"
>
> Doesn't work though...lack of money certainly 'buy's' misery !
I've always subscribed to this: "Money can't buy happiness, but it
sure can ease the pain!" But it is true that money alone can't make a
truly unhappy person happy. If you're already relatively happy, and
you fall into a lot of money, you can become happier. But if someone
is truly miserable, money alone will not solve all of their problems.
I've seen it happen with people who thought money would be the
solution, and it wasn't. They just became miserable rich people.
>
> Leads me on to that silly saying, 'In God we Trust'. Someone forgot
> to add the ending, it should read, 'In God we trust.. after everything
> else fails, or we go daft in the head'. I imagine a squad of soldiers
> approaching a field of land mines, and the Sergeant shouting, "Never
> mind the metal detectors, waste of time. C'mon boys, quick march
> forward...In God We Trust'
There's a story someone wrote about a man whose neighborhood was hit
by a flash flood. He climbed up onto his roof and prayed, "Lord save
me". The rushing water was rising as it raced past his house.
A man in a flimsy row boat approached and said, "Get in and we'll be
safe until someone saves us". The man said, "No, I prayed and I know
the Lord will save me". But the rushing water continued to rise.
There wasn't much time left, but he continued to pray.
A man in a larger power boat came by and said, "Jump in and you will
be safe". The man said, "No, I know the Lord will save me". By now
the water was almost covering the roof of his house. He continued to
pray.
Finally, a helicopter flew over and sent down a lifeline. Someone
yelled, "Grab the line and we'll save you". The man said, "No, I'm
waiting for the Lord to save me".
The man had put his trust in God, and yet he drowned. When he got to
heaven he asked God, "Why didn't you save me?"
God said, "I tried to save you three times, but you said no each
time".
Werewolfy
"God said, "I tried to save you three times, but you said no each
time"
Nice story, and uplifting for those who 'believe'. A bit like a
tapestry over the hearth proclaiming 'Home Sweet Home'
Not for me though...calculated story to instill 'faith'. I wonder
about the thousands of people who died in floods..many of whom also
asked to be saved...and no such help was forthcoming.
But I'm sure many people in the Evangelic tent will all shout, 'Praise
the Lord' to that one.
Incidently, whilst Religion is topic..I often wondered why, if 'God
Forgives all', there is any need for a 'Hell?'
Werewolfy
Bob
>
> On 13 Nov, 16:38, Bob <steven.doug...@rocketmail.com> wrote:
>
> "God said, "I tried to save you three times, but you said no each
> time"
>
> Nice story, and uplifting for those who 'believe'. A bit like a
> tapestry over the hearth proclaiming 'Home Sweet Home'
>
> Not for me though...calculated story to instill 'faith'. I wonder
> about the thousands of people who died in floods..many of whom also
> asked to be saved...and no such help was forthcoming.
> But I'm sure many people in the Evangelic tent will all shout, 'Praise
> the Lord' to that one.
Yes, there are people who die even though they prayed to be rescued.
Bad things happen in this world, and God doesn't intervene in every
case. I don't know why, that's a question I'll want answered someday.
But I thought the story of the man on the roof sort of paralleled your
story about the minefield. Just as the man on the roof should have
accepted the offers of rescue, those men entering a minefield should
use the metal detectors.
>
> Incidently, whilst Religion is topic..I often wondered why, if 'God
> Forgives all', there is any need for a 'Hell?'
I believe God forgives those who sincerely repent. Those who refuse
are probably not forgiven. As for Hell, I've told you my belief in
that regard. I don't believe God will eternally punish people for
refusing to repent. I believe he'll give them another chance. And if
they still refuse, they will have chosen to separate themselves from
the Kingdom of God.
Jane
What about people who are atheist, yet live exemplary lives (no, not
me). Do they have to repent? Repent for what?
Just asking.
Bob
I don't believe they'll have to repent for anything. Ricky's remark
mentioned forgiveness, which implies wrongdoing of some sort, which
led to my use of the word repent.
>
> Just asking.
Jesus said the dead will hear his voice, and those who listen will
live.
Werewolfy
"Jesus said the dead will hear his voice, and those who listen will
live"
That's caused me to understand these things less still.
So, A dead person will hear His voice, and if that corpse listens, he
will then live? Live..as in return to life? Or 'live', as in 'live in
Heaven?'
If it is the former, then I can't really imagine anyone who has just
died, surrounded by 'The Great Blackness', failing to listen to a
voice...so everyone 'lives'.
If it is the latter, and Heaven beckons those who 'listen'...I can't
imagine any dead person who wouldn't take that option if it is
proposed.
Ummm..so why is there a 'Hell'? It should by logic and the statement
of Jesus, be an empty sort of place.
Werewolfy
Doc
"Werewolfy" <Werew...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:39c556f2-a082-4a8e...@m16g2000yqc.googlegroups.com...
The ones who hear his 'voice' are in lunatic asylums or should be and the
rest have to die to hear it.
Bob
>
> On 14 Nov, 04:53, Bob <steven.doug...@rocketmail.com> wrote:
>
> "Jesus said the dead will hear his voice, and those who listen will
> live"
>
> That's caused me to understand these things less still.
>
> So, A dead person will hear His voice, and if that corpse listens, he
> will then live? Live..as in return to life? Or 'live', as in 'live in
> Heaven?'
Live in Heaven. It won't be the corpse that hears his voice. Most of
us believe we have a spirit that lives on beyond this life.
>
> If it is the former, then I can't really imagine anyone who has just
> died, surrounded by 'The Great Blackness', failing to listen to a
> voice...so everyone 'lives'.
> If it is the latter, and Heaven beckons those who 'listen'...I can't
> imagine any dead person who wouldn't take that option if it is
> proposed.
>
> Ummm..so why is there a 'Hell'? It should by logic and the statement
> of Jesus, be an empty sort of place.
I don't believe in the "Hell" that is filled with tormented souls for
eternity. I believe there is a chance for bad people to redeem
themselves, and those who refuse will just go into oblivion. I don't
know what Jesus will say when his voice is heard, only that it's
reported in the Bible that he said the dead will hear his voice, and
those who *listen* will live.
Doc
"Bob" <steven....@rocketmail.com> wrote in message
news:73cd66f5-2448-4517...@w37g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
Junior, please pass the marshmallows while I toss another log on the fire.
Werewolfy
I believe there is a chance for bad people to redeem
> themselves, and those who refuse will just go into oblivion. I don't
> know what Jesus will say when his voice is heard, only that it's
> reported in the Bible that he said the dead will hear his voice, and
> those who *listen* will live.
I can't imagine anyone finding themselves to be dead and hearing a
Godly voice discussing repentance, fail to agree with the voice. Not
much choice really...a dead person is bound to opt for eternal
Paradise in preference to oblivion and therefore, as he has the chance
whilst dead to 'redeem' himself, he's certain to choose that.
Makes living a 'good' life rather redundant.
Werewolfy
Doc
One seriously wonders why this god of infinite creation and intelligence
didn't give us a clue in Genesis the world was round, or that we weren't at
the center of the little twinklers and Sun, uh, passing by.
Could it possibly be that the authors of The Truth were deluded and
receiving 'cosmic knowledge' simply from their own noodles?
Naaaah...it must've been a Plan that had god wanting us to learn these
things much, much later, living in abysmal ignorance for centuries.
And then when some scientists began to question the official church 'truth',
they were considered a heretical monstrousity.
This christian god is apparently a mischievous, if not malicious, one that
curiously mirrors the behavior of its most favored creation.
Doc
>
Bob
Not necessarily. I don't know what Jesus will say when his voice is
heard. There may be some conditions involved when he says they must
*listen* to his voice. The point is that I don't believe people are
condemned to a "hell" of eternal torment. It's possible they might
have to prove themselves in some other way for redemption. For
example, I've always sort of wondered what Hitler would have to do to
redeem himself, if he even chose to try. Redemption is probably not an
easy road for him.
Woodswun
He'll have to be a persecurted person to experience firsthand what
it's like, and then be in an environment where he is given the
opportunity, once again, to either help or hinder those who are
different. If he helps, then he is redeemed for that transgression,
if he hinders, he must try again.
Woods
Werewolfy
> He'll have to be a persecurted person to experience firsthand what
> it's like, and then be in an environment where he is given the
> opportunity, once again, to either help or hinder those who are
> different. �If he helps, then he is redeemed for that transgression,
> if he hinders, he must try again.
Cite?
Werewolfy
Woodswun
See "karma", and also "reincarnation"..
:-)
Woods
Werewolfy
> > Cite?
>
> > Werewolfy
>
> See "karma", and also "reincarnation"..
That's definition, Woodsy..not a cite as to the after death business.
Werewolfy
> One seriously wonders why this god of infinite creation and intelligence
> didn't give us a clue in Genesis the world was round, or that we weren't at
> the center of the little twinklers and Sun, uh, passing by.
> Could it possibly be that the authors of The Truth were deluded and
> receiving 'cosmic knowledge' simply from their own noodles?
> Naaaah...it must've been a Plan that had god wanting us to learn these
> things much, much later, living in abysmal ignorance for centuries.
> And then when some scientists began to question the official church 'truth',
> they were considered a heretical monstrousity.
> This christian god is apparently a mischievous, if not malicious, one that
> curiously mirrors the behavior of its most favored creation.
God is an Elf!
A very mischievious Elf at that, Doc. Mind, he could be simply
'hiding' so condemned any idea of the Plurality of Worlds, in order to
keep his slaves in good adoring order.
Werewolfy
Bob
>
> One seriously wonders why this god of infinite creation and intelligence
> didn't give us a clue in Genesis the world was round, or that we weren't at
> the center of the little twinklers and Sun, uh, passing by.
> Could it possibly be that the authors of The Truth were deluded and
> receiving 'cosmic knowledge' simply from their own noodles?
They were inspired writers. That doesn't mean they were given every
scientific fact in complete detail. I think the first verses of
Genesis merge very nicely with what is known now. For instance, "In
the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" sounds like the
Big Bang to me. "And the earth was without form" sounds like Earth in
its earliest stages. The seven "days" of creation could have happened
over the course of billions of years.
Jane
That was how a priest explained it to us in high school. He believed
that the creation myth was a simple way of explaining evolution so
that the people of that time would understand it it. I, of course,
don't believe there was any hand of god, but I give him kudos (and
you, too). Many fundies are adamant that the earth is only 600o years
old and that dinosaurs co-existed with man.
Jane
Well, I give you credit. Some would say that only 'People of the Book'
or even members of their own particular cult will go to heaven.
>
>
> > Just asking.
>
> Jesus said the dead will hear his voice, and those who listen will
> live.
I don't think there will be a voice or that any will live. We will die
and be eaten by the earth's creatures and become part of the soil. We
won't be cognizant to know or care.
Woodswun
Thus explaining how dinosaur fossils (not remains) are found in much
lower levels of the soil than any trace of mankind has ever been
found. ;-)
Woods
Dani
"Woodswun" <wood...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e7229ff1-a504-4cb3...@m35g2000vbi.googlegroups.com...
Do you think we're just continuously reincarnated until we get it right?
Sometimes I wonder that.
Cheers,
Dani
Dani
"Bob" <steven....@rocketmail.com> wrote in message
news:ea12c01b-3a1b-42c7...@g10g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
lol!
Woodswun
> "Woodswun" <woods...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
Ayup. Makes more sense than having an immortal soul, but you only get
once chance to get things right (less than an imperfect human parent
demands!), and oh, while we're at it, you might be born to the scum of
the earth or be very wealthy - for no good reason, it's just your
tough luck - you still have to get it right!!! I don't know why
religions that teach that the soul is immortal have any kind of issue
with reincarnation.
Woods
Werewolfy
> Ayup. �Makes more sense than having an immortal soul, but you only get
> once chance to get things right (less than an imperfect human parent
> demands!), and oh, while we're at it, you might be born to the scum of
> the earth or be very wealthy - for no good reason, it's just your
> tough luck - you still have to get it right!!! �I don't know why
> religions that teach that the soul is immortal have any kind of issue
> with reincarnation.
And as the Cock crew, those who stood before
The Tavern; shouted, 'Open wide the door".
You know how little time we have,
And once departed, may return no more.
Khayaam.
Woodswun
Well, sure, if we've only got one time around, we should definitely
spend it at the Tavern - LOL! ;-)
Woods
Werewolfy
> Well, sure, if we've only got one time around, we should definitely
> spend it at the Tavern - LOL! �;-)
Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring
The Winter Garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To fly--and Lo! the Bird is on the Wing.
Khayaam
Woodswun
But leave the Wise to wrangle, and with me
The Quarrel of the Universe let be:
And, in some corner of the Hubbub coucht,
Make Game of that which makes as much of Thee.
Werewolfy
> But leave the Wise to wrangle, and with me
> The Quarrel of the Universe let be:
> And, in some corner of the Hubbub coucht,
> Make Game of that which makes as much of Thee.
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.