Good News: Utah – The Happiest State

10 November 2009 @ 7:02 pm | 7 comments

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Finally the truth comes out. According to a survey called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Utah scores as the happiest state in the Union. Interestingly, the survey’s takeaway is that the happiest states have residents that are wealthier, better educated and more tolerant residents on average. I’m sure some will quibble with that as a description of Utah but it sounds right to me.

What will be curious is if this survey will prompt a review of the “root causes” of such happiness. Just two years ago, Utah was declared the most depressed state which led to a debate whether a locally predominant culture was responsible. Perhaps said culture will now get some of the credit for producing such happiness.

Or perhaps, Utahns are in denial about their depression and just claim to be happy, throwing off the survey takers (Hawaii and Wyoming round out the top three? What a trio). Or possibly, surveys and studies don’t make much more than good headlines.

(Possibly) Related posts:

  1. When are out-of-state phone banks wrong?
  2. LDS Church announces open house and dedication for Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
  3. Two Church-State Scrambles

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  1. Dan’s avatar

    Dan on 10 November 2009 at 9:31 pm

    so let me get this straight.

    Utah is most depressed when a Republican is in office. Utah is most happy when a Democrat is in office.

    Interesting…

  2. Dan’s avatar

    Dan on 10 November 2009 at 9:37 pm

    Of course I think this survey is rather shoddy. Not only is there only a 12 point spread between the best and the worst (in a scale of 1 – 100), but they don’t offer the margin of error for their numbers. If the margin of error is 3, then Utah could only be conceivably 6 points happier than the unhappiest state in the union. Shoddy work Gallup.

  3. Dan’s avatar

    Dan on 10 November 2009 at 9:40 pm

    oops, 9 point spread, not 12. Utah’s number is at 69.2 and West Virginia is at 61.2

  5. David B’s avatar

    David B on 10 November 2009 at 11:40 pm

    Depression and happiness aren’t mutually exclusive. Maybe Utah’s the country’s most bipolar state?

  6. Kiko’s avatar

    Kiko on 11 November 2009 at 9:51 am

    That’s funny! I also wonder if it matters when they survey people. I live in UT and I am extremely miserable during the very cold winter months.

    I don’t mean it’s just a little bad, I really get depressed: the short hours of sun light, the skull cracking cold, the dirty snow that begins looking like big mounds of contaminated trash a few days after if falls so gracefully from the sky. Every winter I am saying constantly to myself: “this is it, I am leaving this cursed hell hole.”

    Then during the spring and summer, I am very happy. Happier than in most other places.

  7. john f.’s avatar

    john f. on 12 November 2009 at 11:06 am

    I like where you’re going with this. Two things similarly come to my mind:

    1. Will the same people who accepted the survey suggesting Utah was the most depressed state as accurate/reliable also take the results of this survey in the same way?

    2. Will the people who adamantly argued (after accepting at face value, as described in 1) that the source or cause for why Utah was found to be the most depressed state by the survey in question was obviously the Church show consistency with that position and now argue adamantly that the Church is the reason that Utah is the happiest state according to this survey?