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Unhappy States of Mind?
By Valeria Rotella
One thing I’ve realized since moving to America is that people like to rank things. They like to make these lists, where they talk about what’s good and what’s bad. It turns everything into a competition.
And it seems that emotion can be ranked too.
Science Magazine has just released a new study in which they list the 50 States according to their happiness (the District of Columbia is also included). Louisiana is apparently the happiest state. New York comes in last.
Well, this is depressing.
It seems to me that this study doesn’t make sense. If you’re happy, you don’t really need anyone telling you that you are happy. If someone tells you you’re a moody low-life, well, that doesn’t exactly make your day.
And it’s one of the reasons I’m calling BS on this “report”.
I also find it very hard to believe that New York is the unhappiest state in the country. Connecticut and New Jersey, which ranked right above New York, are a little more understandable. Everyone in Connecticut wants to live in New York, and New Jersey is reeling in the embarrassment of Jersey Shore. But New York? What? Since when?
And Clyde Haberman of The New York Times says the same thing. “Sure we complain a lot. Grumbling could qualify as the official state sport. But are we really the unhappiest of them all?” he ponders in a column from last Monday.
True point, which also leads to another idea; maybe the people of New York State are happier than they would like to let on. Maybe they’re not in a deeper emotional pit than the people in Idaho, but they like to complain about their lives more. Which I’m all for. Cynicism is good for the soul, and it makes you more wary of your environment. Think about it. Louisiana, though happy they may be, is a far more corrupt state than New York. And corruption always slows down state governments, and it’s harder to get things done. Not to mention New Orleans has a far higher crime rate than New York City, the safest big city in the country.
I also think that these polls cause an unhealthy competitiveness. It’s absurd. I mean, I don’t want to get upset about South Carolina listed higher than Maryland on the happiness scale (they ranked 6th, we ranked 40th), but at the same time I feel peeved that we couldn’t have at least lied a bit on these surveys to improve our ranking on the stupid chart, which is obviously biased against cool states like New York and Maryland and Connecticut, because we’re so much better than them. See? I don’t believe any of that, but damnit, I want an excuse for why we didn’t win the happiness contest!
So we, the unhappy people, can react to this in two different ways.
We could come up with a conspiracy theory that would put us on the top of the list. Like maybe Science magazine tweaked the numbers so that the unhappiest states would appear to be the happiest states, and would boost their morale, while the real happy states would just keep on being happy. I mean, how can people in Connecticut really be unhappy?! It has to be a farce.
Or we, the people living in the “grumpy” states, could try to be more like Louisiana. Not only are they dealing with the same economic crisis, unemployment rates, two wars, health care problems, and obesity issues like we are, but they’re still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which left them in bad shape.
So let’s all try and be happy this holiday season. Go open the presents, make a snowman, and enjoy time off work and school. And there’s no real competition for happiness. But if it makes you feel any better, Maryland beat out Michigan on the list. Suckers.
Happy Holidays!
Nicole
January 1, 2010 at 4:35 pm
How does one define happiness? However the report got its information, it doesn’t sound like the process was very accurate, partially because there is simply no way to determine exactly how happy a person is. Wealth, stress, and culture are all factors, but happiness can’t simply be determined from them. A poll would most likely show how optimistic and/or pessimistic the average person in a state is; not the actually happiness of these people. Also, I don’t think that the people who did the study are politically motivated… it sounds like the “happier” states were generally the more rural ones, which actually does make some sense, and many southern states are the ones where more people are conservative. Very thought-provoking article.
LaylaTamer
December 29, 2009 at 3:08 am
I, for one, am glad that someone has brought this to attention however I would like to understand what factors are included in this decision. Suicide Rates? Unemployment Rates? People in New York, not New York City, are quite unhappy. Long Island, Harlem, Spanish Harlem, Brooklyn, all poor, all quite unhappy. Connecticut is filled with empty rich people. Well written article. Very provocative piece.
Doron Tauber
December 28, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I think the reason states like South Carolina and Louisiana are listed as “happier” is because they have more easygoing lives. The more rural you get, the less stress there is in your life. It’s much more relaxing in the country, so that logically would lead to happier, more stress-free people. In the big cities like New York, you have to constantly be buzzing around the office, snatching opportunities, trying to snag clients, et cetera. It’s much more high-risk and high-stress in the more urban parts of the country.
Aaron W.
December 30, 2009 at 7:37 pm
That’s probably true; good point.
Aaron W.
December 25, 2009 at 11:20 am
One thing I noticed on this list (based solely on the states you have listed), is that predominantly conservative states tend to be happier than predominantly liberal states. You seem to be having a hard time accepting that liberal “cool” states (i.e. New York, Connecticut, and Maryland) are less happy than conservative states like Louisiana, South Carolina, and Idaho. Maybe the report isn’t just “biased”; maybe it is just revealing an interesting truth about the mindsets and attitudes of conservatives versus those of liberals.
Eli Prysant
December 25, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Wow do you scour lists looking for political undertones?
Aaron W.
December 30, 2009 at 7:38 pm
One doesn’t exactly have to scour this article to find the obvious political bias and elitism. It’s pretty obvious, to say the least.
Eli Prysant
January 6, 2010 at 8:05 pm
You have fun with that
Moira Anthony
January 6, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Excellent point. I agree completely.
Moira Anthony
January 6, 2010 at 2:13 pm
With Aaron, I mean.
Aaron W.
January 7, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Thank you.
dimitri halikias
January 7, 2010 at 10:57 pm
that’s an interesting observation, but how I would respond is that large cities tend to have higher crime, poverty, and suicide rates – key indicators in measuring “happiness.” Also, large urban areas tend to be highly liberal, and states with large urban populations typically vote democratic. I don’t really buy much in your political mindset argument.
Aaron W.
January 14, 2010 at 9:58 pm
You’re probably right about the crime, poverty and suicide rates, but I don’t see how what you said about cities being liberal contradicts anything I said.
dimitri halikias
January 15, 2010 at 8:11 pm
I don’t think that it has anything to do with the mindsets of liberals vs. conservatives
Aaron W.
January 17, 2010 at 12:02 am
Well, if the cities are predominantly liberal, and also have higher crime, poverty, and suicide rates, then that means that the predominantly liberal inhabitants of those cities have higher crime, poverty, and suicide rates than the predominantly conservative inhabitants of more rural areas, which would say something about them. Maybe mindsets was the wrong word.
dimitri halikias
January 17, 2010 at 9:02 am
Ok i think i misunderstood you at first. I thought you were implying that being liberal somehow made you less happy than being conservative
Eli Prysant
December 23, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Does whether or not a state is “happy” matter?