A new study reveals a correlation between living within commuting distance of Manhattan and self-reported levels of happiness. The tri-state area—New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey—ranked, #51, #50, and #49 on the list of most unhappiest states. (Washington, D.C. was also included in the rankings.)
The happiest state in the U.S. is Louisiana ( seriously? ) which beat out Hawaii and Florida to claim the top spot. Apparently, there is no correlation between hurricanes and happiness since Mississippi, South Carolina, and Alabama also topped the list.
To cheer up all those melancholy New Yorkers I thought I’d play this video of Alicia Keys singing “Empire State of Mind” one of the great songs about New York (despite the title the song is really about the city). This version is superior to the original since it replaces the world’s most overrated rapper, Jay Z, with one of the most unappreciated: Stephen Colbert.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c |
| Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down | |
If that doesn’t perk up you sad sacks then you probably need to move to Maine, the closest state to you that’s in the top ten.
Here is the complete list. Where does your state rank? My own, the Great State of Texas, comes in at a shockingly low #16, between Joseph Bottum’s home state of South Dakota and poetry editor Paul Lake’s Arkansas.
1 Louisiana
2 Hawaii
3 Florida
4 Tennessee
5 Arizona
6 Mississippi
7 Montana
8 South Carolina
9 Alabama
10 Maine
11 Alaska
12 North Carolina
13 Wyoming
14 Idaho
15 South Dakota
16 Texas
17 Arkansas
18 Vermont
19 Georgia
20 Oklahoma
21 Colorado
22 Delaware
23 Utah
24 New Mexico
25 North Dakota
26 Minnesota
27 New Hampshire
28 Virginia
29 Wisconsin
30 Oregon
31 Iowa
32 Kansas
33 Nebraska
34 West Virginia
35 Kentucky
36 Washington
37 District of Columbia
38 Missouri
39 Nevada
40 Maryland
41 Pennsylvania
42 Rhode Island
43 Massachusetts
44 Ohio
45 Illinois
46 California
47 Indiana
48 Michigan
49 New Jersey
50 Connecticut
51 New York
(Via: The New York Times )
