I learned this morning that data collected from more than 350,000 individuals interviewed during the 12 months of 2008 suggests my home state of Indiana places 45th on the well-being index among all states. 

(I am pleased to report that I must have made the right decision, although unknowingly, some 20 years earlier when moving from Indiana to Arizona, the 10th ranked state.)

In her article posted November 10, 2009, Happiest States are Wealthy and Tolerant, Jeanna Bryner lists the ranking of each state (see sidebar) in terms of a well-being index and discusses the elements used to arrive at the rankings.  The information comes from a study by researcher Jason Rentfrow and his collegues of the University of Cambridge in England.

Here are the main points from Ms. Bryner’s article.

• States with higher gross regional product (GRP) per capita (a state's level of productivity and standard of living), income levels and median housing value, were significantly happier than poorer areas. That's not too surprising, Rentfrow noted, as wealthier individuals tend to be healthier, because they are better educated and thus more knowledgeable about healthy behaviors, and they also likely have health insurance.

• 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.

• U.S. states with wealthier, better educated and more tolerant residents are also happier on average believed to be because wealthy states can provide infrastructure making it easier for residents to get their needs met. 

• Well-being was highest in the Mountain states and West Coast states, followed by the Eastern Seaboard and then the Midwest and Southern states.

• Not all states fit into the researcher's overall model of what makes for a happy area. For instance, the top three states, Utah, Hawaii and Wyoming are outliers, as they aren't considered the wealthiest of the pack.

• Utah is conservative, and research has suggested such right-leaning individuals are a bit happier than others.

• Hawaii's ranking could be due to a relaxed culture, he said, adding that the three states may just have strong families and social relationships.

• The results don't say wealthy people are happier than un-wealthy people, or that people who live in areas where people are wealthy are happier

• To figure out why some states scored higher or lower than others, the researchers looked at the relationship between happiness levels and other variables, including economic indicators, education levels, personality factors (cynicism, Lack of Meaning, Fretting, Lack of Self-control, Anxiety, Gloom and Doom, Stress) and levels of inclusiveness.

• The happier states also tended to have a greater proportion of residents with advanced educations whose jobs were considered "super-creative," such as architecture, engineering, computer and math occupations, library positions, arts and design work, as well as entertainment, sports and media occupations.

• The number of bohemians (such as artists), gays and foreign-born residents also boosted happiness scores. Take California, Minnesota and Massachusetts, which had higher inclusiveness scores and also made it to the top 10 list for well-being.

• Happy individuals are on average healthier and live longer, have higher incomes, better social relationships and are better citizens

• Of the personality factors, neuroticism took a toll on a state's cheery count, suggesting people living in the happiest states are more relaxed than their gloomy counterparts. For instance, West Virginia, Mississippi and Kentucky were ranked as highly neurotic and showed lower well-being scores. Utah, on the other hand, had a significantly lower level of neuroticism than other states.

This is a lot of information that could keep a person busy analyzing the whys and what ifs and how comes. 

Regardless of what you conclude, enjoy your happiness in the Great State where you live.