With 87% of Americans feeling “anxious” or “very anxious” about inflation, personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2022’s Happiest States in America and the study lists Utah as the nation’s 4th happiest state.
To determine where Americans have the highest satisfaction with life, the company compared all 50 states across 30 key indicators of happiness, from the depression rate and the share of adults feeling productive to income growth and the unemployment rate.
For its part, Utah ranked first in several specific categories, including Sports Participation Rate, Number of Work Hours, Volunteer Rate (which was twice that of New York) and Divorce Rate (which was two times better than Nevada). Utah also scored third in Long-Term Unemployment (defined as % of Civilian Labor Force Unemployed 15 Weeks or Longer), fifth in Safety and 10th in Income Growth.
Source: WalletHub
“The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the biggest stressors during the past two years, but now rampant inflation is more of a threat to Americans’ mental health,” the report’s author, Adam McCann, wrote. “In fact, 87% of Americans are ‘anxious’ or ‘very anxious’ about inflation, according to a recent American Psychiatric Association poll.”
In order to determine the happiest states in America, WalletHub compared states across three key dimensions: 1) Emotional & Physical Well-Being, 2) Work Environment and 3) Community & Environment. Utah ranked 29th in Emotional & Physical Well-Being, but 1st in both Work Environment and Community & Environment. Utah’s neighbor to the north, Idaho, ranked 6th overall (ranked 25th in Emotional & Physical Well-Being, 3rd in Work Environment and 2nd in Community & Environment).
“Spending time with people that you care about and engaging in physical activities that you enjoy are beneficial ways to boost well-being,” says Emily C. Willroth, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Psychological & Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. “If you are struggling with your well-being, it can also be helpful to reach out to a mental healthcare provider or to speak with your primary care physician about your concerns.”
Maryam Kia-Keating, Ph.D., founder of Power of Drishti Meditations; Professor of Clinical Psychology; and, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at University of California, Santa Barbara, says where you live influences your level of happiness.
“Community environments have an important influence on happiness and health,” Kia-Keating explains. “In addition to your daily activities and choices, living in a community that offers access to resources and opportunities, and engenders a sense of safety, belonging, connection, and support helps people to thrive. Schools, neighborhoods, and community and faith-based organizations can play a big role in helping support well-being and cultivating collective happiness.
“Resources and services that help to support environmental and physical safety, and provide access to good quality food, housing, education, and preventative healthcare are vital to everyone’s well-being. The community environment also plays a big role in fostering caring and supportive relationships. Research shows that greater racial diversity in a community increases the likelihood that people living there engage in prosocial behaviors, such as offering help to a stranger. That sense of connection and reassurance that neighbors are looking out for one another can have a powerful influence on happiness and well-being.”
Kia-Keating adds that there are several steps people can take to ensure a state of psychological well-being.
“There are some actions,” Kia-Keating explains, “that people can take to increase their own happiness.
- Connection:Creating and nurturing relationships is not only likely to bring you happiness, but it also increases the other person’s well-being. These relationships can include biological families, close friends, and pets. We benefit physiologically and psychologically from these connections, and they help bolster us through difficult times, as well as promote our happiness in general.
- Gratitude:Actively looking for ways to experience and express gratitude nurtures our sense of contentment. When we are more aware of the things in our life that are going well, or the things that we appreciate in the world around us, it helps us focus on and amplify the positive.
- Presence:The practice of mindfulness teaches us presence and engagement at the moment and helps us to observe and be aware of our own thoughts and sensations without judgment. There are all sorts of benefits to our well-being in cultivating acceptance and appreciation. I offer 3-minute meditations and music at “Power of Drishti”, to offer an easy and brief chance to reset, breathe, and find presence.
- Routine:Healthy diet, sleep, and exercise are all important routines to establish to create a foundation for happiness.
“The acronym HALT reminds us of four vulnerabilities to stress: when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired it is hard to regulate your emotions and make good decisions. Instead, remember to build connections, practice gratitude, be present, and follow healthy routines for daily happiness.”
The WalletHub analysis draws upon the findings of the following research:
- Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity(Chan and Diener, 2010)
- Happiness from Ordinary and Extraordinary Experiences(Bhattacharjee and Mogilner, 2014)
- Sports Participation and Happiness: Evidence from U.S. Micro Data(Huang and Humphreys, 2010)
- Unhappy Cities(Glaeser, et al., 2014)
Emotional & Physical Well-Being – Total Points: 50
- Career Well-Being: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Sharecare’s “Community Well-Being Index,” particularly the “Purpose” element, defined as “Liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals.” - Physical Health Index: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: This metric measures self-reported effects of disease on personal happiness. - Adverse Childhood Experiences: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
- Share of Adult Depression: Triple Weight (~7.14 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of adults aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with depression. - Social Well-Being: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Sharecare’s “Community Well-Being Index”, particularly the “Social” element, defined as “having supportive relationships and love in your life.” - Share of Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder: Double Weight (~4.76 Points)
- Adequate-Sleep Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
- Sports-Participation Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
- Share of Adults Feeling Active & Productive: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Gallup’s “State of the States” poll and measures the share of state residents who reported feeling active and productive every day for seven days prior to polling. - Share of Adults with Mental Health Not Good: Triple Weight (~7.14 Points)
Note: Percentage of Adults With 14 or More Mental Unhealthy Days Reported in the Past Month. - Life Expectancy: Double Weight (~4.76 Points)
- Suicide Rate: Triple Weight (~7.14 Points)
- Food-Insecurity Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Work Environment – Total Points: 25
- Number of Work Hours: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Commute Time: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
- Share of Households Earning Annual Incomes Above $75,000: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Share of Adults Worried About Money: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Gallup’s “State of the States” poll and measures the share of state residents who reported worrying about money every day for seven days prior to polling. - Current Unemployment Rate: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
- Share of Civilian Labor Force Unemployed 15 Weeks or Longer: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
- Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
- Job Security: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Note: This metric measures the probability of unemployment. - Job Satisfaction Score: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Monster and Brandwatch’s “Job Happiness Report” and measures how much people love or hate their jobs based on an analysis of two million related tweets. The ratio score was calculated as follows: Number of People Who Love Their Jobs / Number of People Who Hate Their Jobs. - Income-Growth Rate: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
- Economic Security: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Note: This metric is based on Sharecare’s “Community Well-Being Index”, particularly the “Economic Security” element, defined as “community members who are employed, insured, and otherwise stable financially.” - Median Credit Score: Half Weight (~1.25 Points)
Community & Environment – Total Points: 25
- Volunteer Rate: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
- Ideal Weather: Triple Weight (~10.00 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather” ranking and was calculated as the average of the ranking for the top three cities by population in the state. - Average Leisure Time Spent per Day: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)
- Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
- Safety: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Safest States in America” ranking.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Feeding America, Gallup, Brandwatch, TransUnion, Minnesota Population Center – University of Minnesota, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, County Health Rankings, United Health Foundation, the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index and WalletHub research.
