Science
Science
Sunshine really does make us happy
People in sunny, outdoorsy states — Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida — say they're the happiest Americans, and researchers think they know why.
A new study comparing self-described pleasant feelings with objective measures of good living found these folks generally have reason to feel fine.
The places where people are most likely to report happiness also tend to rate high on studies comparing things like climate, crime rates, air quality and schools. Probably not surprisingly, their report in Friday's edition of the journal Science found the happiest people tend to live in the states that do well in quality-of-life studies
Ranking No. 1 in happiness was Louisiana, home of Dixieland music and Cajun/Creole cooking. Rounding out the happy five were Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee and Arizona. At the other end of the scale, last in happiness — is New York state.
The long commutes, congestion and high prices around New York City account for some of the unhappiness.
Said Economists Andrew J. Oswald of the University of Warwick in England:
"We wanted to study whether people's feelings of satisfaction with their own lives are reliable, that is, whether they match up to reality — of sunshine hours, congestion, air quality, etceteras — in their own state. And they do match."
The state-by-state list, from happiest to least cheery:
1. Louisiana
2. Hawaii
3. Florida
4. Tennessee
5. Arizona
6. South Carolina
7. Mississippi
8. Montana
9. Alabama
10. Maine
11. Wyoming
12. Alaska
13. North Carolina
14. South Dakota
15. Texas
16. Idaho
17. Vermont
18. Arkansas
19. Georgia
20. Utah
21. Oklahoma
22. Delaware
23. Colorado
24. New Mexico
25. North Dakota
26. Minnesota
27. Virginia
28. New Hampshire
29. Wisconsin
30. Oregon
31. Iowa
32. Kansas
33. Nebraska
34. West Virginia
35. Kentucky
36. Washington
37. District of Columbia
38. Missouri
39. Nevada
40. Maryland
41. Pennsylvania
42. Rhode Island
43. Ohio
44. Massachusetts
45. Illinois
46. California
47. New Jersey
48. Indiana
49. Michigan
50. Connecticut
51. New York
- Posted on December 18, 2009
The top five states are happy cause they have sunny days while the other states have snow, blizzards, and stuff like that. They have place to play golf and do activites that some states can't do cause of snow.
I love the SUNSHINE it makes me so happy . I love when I wear shorts and I can feel the sunshine on my legs it feels so good I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love the summer because you can see the beautiful sky it is so blue and the cloub they are so white and I like to go swimming because you cool down.
I think it does make you happy especially after winter because people love the heat after a long time in the cold. And finally we would be able to go outside.
The sun makes me happy because i can go camping and fishing. I also like the sun because when i can go swimming and play outside.
Having some sunny days does make me happy but I'm one of those people that like the rain two. I thought the whole "Winter Blues" was just for the people who didn't really like the snow until we got really close to haven one day left until we almost had to make up school at the end of the year , and i love the snow allot, but now i just wish the snow would melt and the sun would shine.