Report: Rhode Island 27th among states when it comes to happiness

RHODE ISLAND is the 27th happiest state in America, according to WalletHub's latest survey of the most and least happy states. / COURTESY WALLETHUB
RHODE ISLAND is the 27th happiest state in America, according to WalletHub's latest survey of the most and least happy states. / COURTESY WALLETHUB

PROVIDENCE – When it comes to happiness, Rhode Islanders are about average, and not hedonistic.
The Ocean State ranked 27th among the states and the District of Columbia in WalletHub’s “Happiest States in America” survey released Monday.
The happiest state? Utah.
The least happy state? West Virginia.
To determine which states are the happiest, WalletHub said it looked at factors such as emotional and physical well-being (sports participation, suicide rate, obesity rate, hedonometer rate – personal expression of hedonism on social media), work environment (commute time, etc.), and community and environment (volunteerism, divorce rate, etc.)
Rhode Island has the fourth-lowest “hedonometer” rating, while Oregon has the highest.

Rhode Island tied for the fifth-lowest suicide rate with Connecticut, and was ranked as the fourth-safest state to live in, behind Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Rhode Island also was third for the lowest number of work hours.
The Ocean State ranked the second-lowest on the happiness list in New England, ahead of only Maine, which was 33rd. New Hampshire ranked the highest at 11th overall, followed by Vermont at 14th, Massachusetts at 16th and Connecticut at 17th.
The financial services website said that “money can indeed contribute to happiness – but only up to a certain dollar amount.”
“Life satisfaction, one of the two main components of happiness, increases as income rises – to a maximum of $75,000 a year. Beyond that figure, money makes little difference in a person’s overall contentment with life,” WalletHub said.

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