Utah is the happiest state in the US

[pam]

Want to be happier..well according to the latest..move to Utah.

Want to be happier? You may need to move - Mental health- msnbc.com

[john doe]

Must be all the happy pills everyone condemns us for using.

[Elphaba]

The state is certainly always working on our infrastructure! I know because I drive from Ogden to Salt Lake often, and I am tired of our infrastructuure always being under construction.

Elph

[Guest]

I didn't know there are that many gay people in Utah...

[cofchristcousin]

I didn't know there are that many gay people in Utah...

US Census data gives a snapshot of gay families’ lives - Utah and Wyoming have some of the highest proportions of gay couples who call themselves married.

[hordak]

Must be all the happy pills everyone condemns us for using.

don't forget the online porn use and plastic surgery.

It seems every time some good statistic come out about Utah members are so quick to associate with the church

Utah is happy, Utah has alot of church members, ergo the church makes Utah happy

Yet this same logic is ignored when the results are negative

Utah has the most online porn use, Utah has a lot of members, ergo ... wait there are a lot of non member too.Must be them.

I'm not saying the church can't make people happy, but when people "dumb down" the cause and affect relationship to this level, while being biased it is absurd.

Not accusing you of doing the Pam. Just putting in a "preemptive strike" as we had this conversation at MADB a few days ago and that is where it led.

[lattelady]

Not sure about anybody else, but in our neck of the woods (in Utah), prescription drug abuse by all walks of life (but high in stay-at-home moms and teens) is rampant; and as a substitute teacher I see a gigantic, horrible problem with self-mutilation. It is in jr. highs and highschools in abundance. A large number of kids here are hurting; I don't claim to have the answers as to WHY, but I know that they are. Happy is indeed relative.

[Hemidakota]

Want to be happier..well according to the latest..move to Utah.

Want to be happier? You may need to move - Mental health- msnbc.com

It is not the state is a happy place to live but its people of whom follows the Savior.

[Generally_Me]

Actually Hordak, I heard an awful lot of people blaming the church for their mental illnesses when I lived in Utah, and others who were not members blaming it for "doing this" to their loved ones. And it's obvious that the members realize there's a lot of porn usage in the church, as there are talks against it every GC.

[bytor2112]

I love the west in general...especially Colorado. Maybe it's the thin air.....rocky mountain high....but I do feel much happier when I am out west.

[john doe]

Not sure about anybody else, but in our neck of the woods (in Utah), prescription drug abuse by all walks of life (but high in stay-at-home moms and teens) is rampant; and as a substitute teacher I see a gigantic, horrible problem with self-mutilation. It is in jr. highs and highschools in abundance. A large number of kids here are hurting; I don't claim to have the answers as to WHY, but I know that they are. Happy is indeed relative.

Well, it's obvious, then isn't it? The Mormons are lying about their levels of happiness just to score higher in the polls.

Here's a thought: maybe the kinds of things you describe are even more rampant in other parts of the country, and Utahns, while still having some problems, are dealing with their problems slightly better than the rest of the country.

[john doe]

I love the west in general...especially Colorado. Maybe it's the thin air.....rocky mountain high....but I do feel much happier when I am out west.

I'm going to just toss this out, but I think it may be possible that part of the reason for feeling happier here is the fact that there are less people, thus there are less resrictions imposed upon us by others, and more freedom to do what we want without being told what we can do and where we can do it. When we get to more dense populations we become more restricted. I think that population density has something to do with the equation.

[prisonchaplain]

It could be that each place on the list has its reasons for happiness. Utah...might well be that so many enjoy a strong sense of community, of purpose, and of being connected to God. Washington State??? Trust me...different reasons! We are the anti-Bible belt. (I'm a rebel at heart)

[pam]

Did anyone read the article? Most of the posts stating reasons are not even what was listed in the reasons why in the article.

[lattelady]

I did read the article, Pam--thanks for posting it. That was some of the reason for my comment "Happiness is relative." I live in "Happy Valley" Utah, to narrow the happiness down even further. There ARE plenty of happy people here. The poll that gathered the "happiness results" can't look into every issue that plagues humans today. It asked questions pertaining to their exercise habits (people in Utah County are VERY exercise-conscious), mental health issues (mental health problems run rampant in Ut. Co., and I'm not speaking from ignorance here), general health, etc.

Polls like these are looking for certain things. If they delved into specific issues, I think the poll results might change a bit. Salt Lake City is more diverse--john doe--you've mentioned before that is where you are from. I never said that "Mormons are lying about their level of happiness." I do feel that the generation coming up is hurting. I'm not stating any specific cause for the issues I see here in my area of Utah, only that issues abound. Drug use is HUGE, suicide rates are high, sexually based crimes (we are seeing almost every night on the news about teachers locally having inappropriate relationships with students), and the one that hits very close to home for me--self-injury. I substitute teach and see student after student with rows of scars on their arms that are obviously self-inflicted. So much effort is put out for the drug problem here--rehab facilities, drug-free programs in schools, etc., but not for these hurting, angry kids who are trying to get someone's attention by cutting themselves.

[Misshalfway]

I do think there is something to the idea that higher income and education DO make a difference in happiness. They open doors and options and give people tools to deal with life's problems. If one is born into poverty, that means they are often born into dysfunction and abuse and neglect. And many are also confined to that lifestyle as "getting out" is often difficult without help and support.

[pam]

Lattelady..I do agree with you that "happiness is relative." What might make one person happy may not work for another.

But I also agree with the article about education and higher education. And with Miss 1/2's point about it being able to open doors and options that others might not have.

But I really would like to experience having alot more money. I'm willing to volunteer as a test person to see if it makes me happy and if that theory works.

[Misshalfway]

Last time I checked, there were lots of different religions and paradigms represented in Utah populations. I think we need to stop defining Utah in such narrow terms.

There are lots of reasons Utah is an awesome place to live. Great housing, good jobs, recreation, art/culture, great schools and higher education opportunities (more affordable than other schools), and low crime rates.

The church, I think plays a significant role and one that shouldn't be overlooked. But the people in Utah, no matter the church, are some of the greatest people on earth. We can't get thru traffic accidents cuz half the commuters have pulled over to help!

[pam]

Miss 1/2 are you sure you don't work for the tourism business here in Utah? haha Or a business hoping to attract people to move to Utah?

[Guest]

The study is a disgrace to statistics. No, not necessarily the results or the methodology, but the conclusions. Okay, so I will give the statisticians some lee-way that maybe the news writer provided the conclusion and not the statisticians... but, time and time again we see statisticians manipulating population statistics to support their agenda.

Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about... last week, I got a B in a test in my "graduate statistics for scientists and engineers" class. All my calculations were correct but my conclusion was wrong. I had a null hypothesis and the calculations did not refute the hypothesis so I concluded that the null hypothesis is true. The professor marked it a B because the conclusion should have been, "there is insufficient evidence that the hypothesis is incorrect" which is completely different from stating that the hypothesis IS correct.

Of course there are 500 other reasons why a person in the survey is happy - but, if I want to make a conclusion based on whether the number of gay people will make a State happy, then I'm not gonna ask whether being LDS is the reason why he's happy, I'm going to ask if he is gay...

[lattelady]

Do any other Utah residents see the youth of our state struggling like never before?

[Misshalfway]

The study is a disgrace to statistics.

Aren't most studies like this?

Happiness is an elusive thing for all of us and that's why studies and articles published in Cosmopolitan magazine and broadcasted on the Oprah show. And sadly, I think that half the time there is an agenda behind then to sell something! So ya Pam, maybe I am the tourism department.

This is earth life, not a pleasure cruise. If you really look at the realities of happiness and how one gets it and maintains it, I think you will find a much different and highly diverse picture.

There are some behaviors and lifestyles that simply don't bring happiness. There are others that do. And I think we as a society generally agree on what those are.

But by and large, happiness is a choice that one makes inside of themselves independent of circumstances. One can be happy with nothing. OR one can be happy inside of great suffering.

I think it is naive to think that "mormon people" are happier or that gay people are too. Blah! That is missing the forest for the trees. There are just as many miserable mormons or married people or gay people or ones who own harley's as there are happy ones.

I get a little pissy about evalutating people on how "happy" they are using these narrow and shallow definitions of happiness. Happiness is sometimes learned and sometimes a talent. Sometimes its an unacknowledge luxury and other times fought for with everything a person has.

I think its a mistake to listen to the voices of pop culture and media and the Oprah show for our marching orders on how to get happiness. As if you could buy it or manufacture it or paint it on.

[pam]

I can't remember where I read this..but I think I posted something about it some time ago.

Someone once said..you choose to be happy. When you get up in the morning and you are washing your face and brushing your teeth..look yourself in the mirror and say...Today I choose to be happy. I control it.

[pam]

Do any other Utah residents see the youth of our state struggling like never before?

I don't know if I would say it's just Utah youth. I would say it's overall in all areas. Not necessarily that the temptations are any different than when I was a teenager..but the tactics and the ways to entice have changed a bit as I see them. The availability and the way they are available are different.

[lattelady]

True, Pam. I just said "Utah residents" because Utah is my home, and where I have a bird's eye view to the struggles of OUR youth. My kids are growing up HERE, and they see, too, the struggle up-close and personal. I know it's not just Utah youth. But it IS Utah youth, too. They are not exempt.