Analysis of the relationship of happiness to economic achievement and other factors in US states

Overall emotional well-being, notably happiness, has been the subject of numerous studies in psychology, business and other disciplines. In this study, happiness, aka life satisfaction, is measured by people's own personal assessment of happiness, not measured by 'how happy people ought to be' based on 'well-being' measures such as income or community amenities. The top ten happiest states, in order, are Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee, Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina, Alabama and Maine. The ten unhappiest states are Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Ohio, Illinois, California, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. The findings indicate that happier states on average are significantly more religious and more politically conservative. Findings show that the happier states had a significantly lower per capita GDP; thus, money does not buy happiness. Businesses can facilitate happiness among employees, by supporting work-life balance of employees, being parent-friendly, being marriage-friendly and enabling employees to integrate their spiritual values in their job roles.