Mapping the Happiest Places in the United States (Disneyland Not Included)

Researchers from Harvard and the University of British Columbia used "self-reported life satisfaction data" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to locate the cities and regions where Americans are most happy (or unhappy).

1 minute read

July 31, 2014, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


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"There's more to take away from [the Unhappy Cities] study than a list of which cities are winners and which are losers," according to the analysis of Danielle Kurtzleben.

"The data also carries in it an insight into how people make major life choices. If people only sought to live in happy places, cities like Richmond and Charlottesville, Virginia would be swamped with people, while New York would be desolate. Clearly, that hasn't happened."

Kurtzleben also analyzes an additional layer of data reported by the study, namely the connection between income and levels of happiness. 

Thursday, July 24, 2014 in Vox

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