Factors that create happiness at the individual level are complicated. According to the aforementioned study by leading psychologist Daniel Kahneman, income and emotional well-being are positively correlated, but only until $75,000. Additionally, health and social connection can be just as important as money. So should you abandon pursuing a raise when your salary reaches $75,000 and focus instead on meditation? While we can’t answer that, we did find some compelling data on the choices legislators could make to improve happiness in their states, and the solution is simple.
States with lower poverty rates showed higher happiness marks for everyone state-wide. A few stragglers remain, like New Hampshire, where happiness indicators (which consist of 32 relevant metrics around the subcategories of emotional and physical well-being, work environment, and community and environment) remain poor despite a low (by comparison) 7.6% poverty rate (less sun, perhaps?). However, the correlation between poverty and happiness is, broadly speaking, quite clear-- and with average income in the states amounting to less than that $75,000 cutoff, this holds true to Kahneman's study.
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