Shiny Happy People

A survey called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index reveals which states are happiest. Study researcher, Jason Rentfrow of the University of Cambridge in England and his colleagues came to their conclusions by analyzing data collected from more than 350,000 individuals who were interviewed between Jan. 2 and Dec. 30, 2008 as part of the Gallup Organization's Well-Being Index. The index includes six types of well-being: overall evaluation of their lives, emotional health, physical health, healthy behaviors (such as whether a person smokes or exercises), and job satisfaction.

Here are, according to this study, the top 20 "happiest" states:

1. Utah: 69.2

2. Hawaii: 68.2

3. Wyoming: 68

4. Colorado: 67.3

5. Minnesota: 67.3

6. Maryland: 67.1

7. Washington: 67.1

8. Massachusetts: 67

9. California: 67

10. Arizona: 66.8
11. Idaho: 66.8

12. Montana: 66.7

13. New Hampshire: 66.7

14. Vermont: 66.6

15. Virginia: 66.5

16. Nebraska: 66.4

17. New Mexico: 66.3

18. Oregon: 66.3

19. Connecticut: 66.3

20. Alaska : 66.2

If I ever moved away from Tennessee, the state that appeals to me most is Virginia, aka number 15. It's so beautiful with it's rolling hills and beaches, but is also close to a lot of fun stuff... and by close I mean within 10 hours of driving. I love Tennessee though, even if it didn't make the top 20.