Sunshine and Open Spaces Equal Happiness

People who live in warm, sunny states where the living is easy are happier than people who live where the weather, prices, air quality, and congestion aren’t so agreeable, according to comparison of statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study asked participants: “How satisfied are you with your life?” The results showed that the happiest state is Louisiana; rounding out the top five are Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee, and Arizona.

New York State is at the bottom of the happiness scale. California ranks 46.

Economists Andrew J. Oswald of the University of Warwick in England and Stephen Wu of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., published these finding in Friday’s edition of Science magazine. Oswald says the happiest people tend to live in states that do well in quality-of-life studies, and people who live in states where there are long commutes, congestion, and high prices are more likely to be unhappy.

Source: Associated Press, Randolph E. Schmid (12/17/2009)

I read this article in Science and South Carolina is in the top ten!!