The Happiness Project

Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

Alberto Brea and Kevin R. Convey

What makes people happy in the U.S.?

In 2011, Gallup ranked all 50 states by how happy their residents were

Here’s how we mapped Gallup:

We wondered: Does being healthy, wealthy and wise affect happiness?

Healthy: Strong CorrelationThe healthier a state is, the happier it is

Gallup 2011 Happiness index:

http://www.livescience.com/18670-happiest-states-2011-

revealed-poll.html

2011 Health Ranking

source http://www.americashealthrankings.org/Rankings

HawaiiNorth Dakota

MinnesotaAlaskaUtah

Colorado KansasNebraska

New HampshireMontana

South DakotaVermont

MarylandIowaMassachusetts Virginia

CaliforniaWashingtonConnecticut

OregonIdahoWisconsin Wyoming

New MexicoMaine

ArizonaTexas

GeorgiaNew Jersey

North CarolinaPennsylvania

IllinoisNew York South Carolina

Rhode IslandLouisiana

MichiganOklahomaIndiana

NevadaTennesseeFlorida

MissouriArkansas

AlabamaOhio

Delaware

MississippiKentucky

West Virginia

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Hap

pin

ess

Ind

ex

Health Ranking

US Happiness by Health

Wealthy: Strong CorrelationThe lower a state’s unemployment rate,the happier it is

Gallup 2011 Happiness index:

http://www.livescience.com/18670-happiest-states-2011-

revealed-poll.html

August 2012 US Unemployment Rate

HawaiiNorth Dakota

MinnesotaAlaskaUtah

ColoradoKansasNebraska New HampshireMontana

South Dakota Vermont MarylandIowa MassachusettsVirginia CaliforniaWashingtonConnecticutOregon

IdahoWisconsinWyoming New Mexico Maine ArizonaTexas Georgia New JerseyNorth CarolinaPennsylvania Illinois

New YorkSouth Carolina Rhode IslandLouisianaMichigan

Oklahoma IndianaNevada

Tennessee

FloridaMissouri

Arkansas

AlabamaOhio

Delaware

MississippiKentucky

West Virginia

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Hap

pin

ess

Ind

ex

Unemployment Rate

US Happiness by Unemployment Rate

Wise: Strong CorrelationThe more high school graduates a statehas, the happier it is

Gallup 2011 Happiness index:

http://www.livescience.com/18670-happiest-states-2011-revealed-

poll.html

2009 Population Percentage with Less than High School Degreehttp://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/educ-attn.html

HawaiiNorth Dakota

MinnesotaAlaska Utah

ColoradoKansasNebraskaNew HampshireMontana

South DakotaVermont MarylandIowa Massachusetts Virginia CaliforniaWashington ConnecticutOregon

IdahoWisconsinWyoming New MexicoMaine ArizonaTexasGeorgiaNew Jersey North CarolinaPennsylvania Illinois

New York South CarolinaRhode Island LouisianaMichigan

OklahomaIndiana Nevada TennesseeFloridaMissouri ArkansasAlabamaOhio

Delaware

MississippiKentucky

West Virginia

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

7.0 9.0 11.0 13.0 15.0 17.0 19.0 21.0

Hap

pin

ess

Ind

ex

Less than HS Degree

US Happiness by Education

Religion: Strong NegativeCorrelationThe more religious a state, the less happyit is

Gallup 2011 Happiness index:

http://www.livescience.com/18670-happiest-states-2011-revealed-

poll.html

Importance of Religion Rank December 21, 2009

Percentage who say religion is very important in their lives

http://www.pewforum.org/How-Religious-Is-Your-State-.aspx

HawaiiNorth Dakota

MinnesotaAlaskaUtah

ColoradoKansasNebraska

New HampshireMontana

South DakotaVermont

MarylandIowa MassachusettsVirginia

CaliforniaWashingtonConnecticut

OregonIdaho WisconsinWyoming

New MexicoMaine

ArizonaTexas

GeorgiaNew Jersey

North CarolinaPennsylvania

IllinoisNew YorkSouth Carolina

Rhode IslandLouisiana

MichiganOklahoma Indiana

NevadaTennesseeFlorida

MissouriArkansas

AlabamaOhio

Delaware

MississippiKentucky

West Virginia

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Hap

pin

ess

Ind

ex

Religion Ranking

US Happiness by Religion

Our Excel Spreadsheet

State Gallup2011Index PoliticalAffiliation 8/12Unemployment 2009DivorceRate 2012Density 2011HealthRanking2009%LessHSDegreeAlabama 64.6 1 8.5 4.2 94.1 46 17.9Alaska 69 1 7.8 4.4 1.2 35 8.6

Arizona 66.6 1 8.3 3.5 56.3 29 15.8Arkansas 64.7 1 7.3 5.6 56 47 17.6

California 67.3 0 10.6 N/A 239.1 24 19.4Colorado 68.4 0.5 8.2 4.2 48.5 9 10.7

Connecticut 67.2 0 9 3.1 738.1 3 11.4Delaware 64.2 0 6.9 3.8 460.8 30 12.6

Florida 64.9 0.5 8.8 4.3 350.6 33 14.7Georgia 66.3 1 9.2 3.2 168.4 37 16.1Hawaii 70.2 0 6.1 3.7 211.8 4 9.6

Idaho 66.9 1 7.4 5 19 19 11.6

Illinois 65.9 0 9.1 2.6 231.1 28 13.6

Indiana 56.1 1 8.3 N/A 181 38 13.4Iowa 67.4 0.5 5.5 2.5 54.5 17 9.5

Kansas 68.4 1 6.2 3.6 34.9 26 10.3

Kentucky 63.3 1 8.5 4.6 109.9 43 18.3Louisiana 65.5 1 7.4 3.4 104.9 49 17.8

Maine 66.7 0 7.6 4.3 43.1 8 9.8

Maryland 67.6 0 7.1 2.8 594.8 22 11.8Massachusetts 67.4 0 6.3 1.8 839.4 5 11.0

Michigan 65.3 0 9.4 3.3 174.8 30 12.1

Minnesota 69.2 0 5.9 2.8 66.6 6 8.5

Mississippi 63.4 1 9.1 4.2 63.2 50 19.6Missouri 64.8 1 7.2 3.9 87.1 40 13.2

Montana 68 1 6.3 4 6.8 25 9.2

Nebraska 68.3 1 4 3.2 23.8 16 10.2Nevada 65 0.5 12.1 6.6 24.6 42 16.1

NewHampshire 68.2 0.5 5.7 3.7 147 2 8.7

NewJersey 66.2 0 9.9 2.8 1195.5 11 12.6NewMexico 66.8 0 6.5 3.9 17 34 17.2

NewYork 65.7 0 9.1 2.5 411.2 18 15.3

NorthCarolina 66.1 0.5 9.6 3.9 196.1 32 15.7

NorthDakota 70 1 3 2.5 9.7 12 9.9Ohio 64.5 0.5 7.2 3.2 282.3 36 12.4

Oklahoma 65.1 1 5.1 4.6 54.7 48 14.4

Oregon 67.1 1 8.9 3.5 39.9 14 10.9Pennsylvania 66 0 8.1 2.3 283.9 26 12.1RhodeIsland 65.6 0 10.7 3.2 1018.1 10 15.3

SouthCarolina 65.7 1 9.6 2.6 153.9 45 16.4

SouthDakota 67.8 1 4.5 3.2 10.7 23 10.1Tennessee 65 1 8.5 4 153.9 39 16.9Texas 66.4 1 7.1 3.3 96.3 44 20.1

Utah 69 1 5.8 3.5 33.6 7 9.6Vermont 67.7 0 5.3 3.3 67.9 1 9.0

Virginia 67.4 0.5 5.9 3.7 202.6 20 13.4

Washington 67.3 0 8.6 4 101.2 15 10.3WestVirginia 62.3 1 7.5 5 77.1 41 17.2Wisconsin 66.9 0.5 7.5 3 105 13 10.2

Wyoming 66.9 1 5.7 5.2 5.8 21 8.2

Source http://www.livescience.com/18670-happiest-states-2011-revealed-poll.htmlhttp://www.270towin.com/August2012Employementhttp://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/st_DIVORCE_20100813.htmlUSCensusBureausourcehttp://www.americashealthrankings.org/Rankings

Redstates=1Blue=0

Swing=0.5

CorrelationsWealthy -0.406726258

Healthy -0.608497689

Wealthy,wise,healthyWise -0.533615222

What the experts say:

• "The health of the people is really the foundation upon which all their happiness and all their powers as a state depend” -- Benjamin Disraeli

• “A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of.” - Jane Austen

• "The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” -- Marcus Aurelius

Happiness in Perspective

http://psychcentral.com/news/2006/11/07/happiness-enhances-health/392.html

http://www.science20.com/positive_psychology_digest/happiness_and_wealth

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/08/does-wisdom-bring-happiness-or-vice-versa/260949/

http://www.livescience.com/18117-religion-happiness-countries.html

Our Sources

Gallup 2011 Happiness index:

http://www.livescience.com/18670-happiest-states-2011-revealed-poll.html

2011 Health Ranking

http://www.americashealthrankings.org/Rankings

August 2012 US Unemployment Rate

http://www.bls.gov/lau/

2011 Population Percentage with Less than High School Degree

http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/educ-attn.html

2009 Percentage who say religion is very important in their lives

http://www.pewforum.org/How-Religious-Is-Your-State-.aspx

THE END