The appearance of happiness can certainly be subjective. But generally speaking, a person appears happy when they give off a genuine smile and have a relaxed body posture.
Apparently, people in some states give off this aura of happiness more than others because the website HouseFresh recently set out to use artificial intelligence to determine which states and cities were among the happiest in the United States.
The Criteria For Determining Happiness: HouseFresh used Microsoft's facial recognition API to analyze a database of Instagram selfies from every state and the 100 biggest U.S. cities. They also used eight key emotions - anger, contempt, fear, happiness, neutral, sadness, and surprise - to help them map happiness scores across states.
How Did Florida Fare?: In the state rankings, Florida fell in the middle, having a happiness index of 55.06 on a scale of 38-75. In comparison, Utah was the happiest state in the United States, with an index of 74.49.
Florida ranked much better for the happiest cities, having three listings in the top 20.
The Florida Cities that Made the Top 20: Florida had the best showing of any state in the top 20, with 3 cities ranking. They were:
Cape Coral at number 6 out of 20
Sarasota at number 9 out of 20 (Sarasota is pictured at the top of this article.)
and Orlando at number 17 out of 20.
Concord, California was listed as the happiest city in the United States, followed by Provo, Utah, and Knoxville, Tennessee.
Additional Data: Although HouseFresh has an interesting study, does analyzing Instagram smiles line up with other studies done on happiness within the United States?
We can look at additional data to attempt to find out. WalletHub did a similar study on the happiest states but looked at entirely different metrics. Their study considered metrics like depression rates, income growth, sleep rates, safety, sports participation, and the unemployment rate.
In WalletHub's study, Florida came in 18th out of 50th, which meant that Florida did a little better in the WalletHub study that analyzed concrete metrics rather than physical expressions.
In terms of the happiest cities in Florida, CreditDonkey and WalletHub have both looked at this. And although what they ranked as the happiest cities differed, both looked at metrics like employment, income, divorce, and crime.
The CreditDonkey survey ranked Coral Springs in first place, Jacksonville in 2nd, and Tallahassee 3rd.
The WalletHub study agreed with HouseFresh, ranking Cape Coral as number 1, Port St. Lucie as number 2, and Pembroke Pines as number 3.
How Much Money Do You Need to Be Happy in Florida?: Finally, an interesting survey done in part by Purdue University found that in order to be truly happy in the sunshine state, one needs to earn around $105,000 per year.
It is interesting that two studies agreed that Florida's happiest city was Cape Coral, where the average household income is around $76,000.
When examining happiness indicators, various methodologies exist, each with its strengths and limitations. The HouseFresh study employs Microsoft's facial recognition API, analyzing Instagram selfies and mapping emotional states using eight key emotions. While intriguing, this approach has its limitations, as facial expressions don't comprehensively represent happiness. Despite this, it ranked Florida middle in state happiness (55.06 out of 38-75).
Utah claimed the top spot (74.49), indicating regional variations. Interestingly, Florida excelled in the happiest cities, with Cape Coral (6th), Sarasota (9th), and Orlando (17th) among the top 20. However, comparing methodologies, WalletHub's metrics-based analysis placed Florida 18th out of 50 states, considering depression rates, income growth, safety, and more. This suggests disparities in findings based on diverse metrics.
When focusing on Florida's happiest cities, different studies present contrasting rankings. CreditDonkey ranked Coral Springs highest, while WalletHub echoed HouseFresh, placing Cape Coral first. It's noteworthy that these rankings differ based on metrics like employment, income, divorce, and crime rates.
Furthermore, Purdue University's study indicates a happiness threshold in Florida at an annual income of around $105,000, contrasting with Cape Coral's average household income of about $76,000, as highlighted by two studies naming it the happiest city.
In essence, while facial recognition-based studies like HouseFresh offer unique insights, happiness metrics are multifaceted, encompassing socio-economic, cultural, and personal aspects. Diverse methodologies often yield varying rankings, highlighting the complexity of defining and measuring happiness within regions like Florida and across the United States.
