Well, according to an article in "Science" in which 1.3 million Americans were studied, Louisiana, Hawaii, and Florida. New York came in last at #51. California and New Jersey scored #46 and #47 respectively. Do we see any correlation with the "happiness quotient" demonstrated by FFL posters from these states? :-)
The happiness rating reported in today's journal of Science surveyed 1.3 million nationwide. It used data collected between 2005 and 2008 that included a question about how satisfied people are with their lives. The places where people are most likely to report happiness tend to rate high on studies comparing things such as climate, crime, air quality and schools. Economists Andrew J. Oswald of the University of Warwick in England and Stephen Wu of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., compared the happiness ranking with studies that rated states on criteria ranging from availability of public land to commuting time to local taxes. 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
