Happiest States are Wealthy and Tolerant

[Rick336]

From Yahoo News:

Happiest States are Wealthy and Tolerant


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.


Read the rest of the article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20091110/sc_livescience/happieststatesarewealthyandtolerant



Rick

[dsdrane]

I think the same applies to foreign "states".

[Pablo Rafael]

Well, I could have told you that we are very happy here in the Mountain West. Who wouldn't be living here. ;)

[BrianB]

My mother warned me not to move to Oklahoma because their medicaid and medicare programs are far below what you get in Ohio. Work opportunities in West Virginia are also very limited unless you live near a resort. (I have family in W.V. as well as Oklahoma.) The intolerance in OK and WV almost goes without saying. Although, there is a resort that welcomes bears in WV.

[Rick336]

My home state of North Carolina is becoming way more tolerant. This past election day the town of Chapel Hill, NC elected a gay mayor. And a year ago North Carolina became a blue state for Obama.

Our sister state of South Carolina, on the other hand, remains a red state with many there who believe an invisible monster that lives in the core of the Earth influenced Obama's election.

Rick

[Gennee]

My state (New York) ranked 35th. New York City is pretty tolerant, though there have been several attacks of GLBT in recent months. Upstate can be another story. One of the difficulties here is the cost of living. Many folks are unemployed.

Gennee

:)

[BrianB]

I went back to look at the list of states. It surprised me that Ohio was below Oklahoma on that list.

[Daniel]

Interesting article. Makes sense to me.

I am the only one who noticed that, in the article, none of the state listed tops 70 percent? No state is 100 percent good for your well-being. With that in mind, I would posit that, no matter where you live, the difference is bridged by meditation and other soul-centered avenues.

[Gennee]

Family and church are a big part of life in Utah. I'm not surprised that it's at the top of the list.

Gennee

:):dove: