Happiest Person In America: Whats Sex Got To Do With It?
Who is the happiest person in America? USA Today featured Happiest Person in a cover story in its USA Weekend magazine. Bad news: it's not you. Nor is it me.
Just how did they find Happiest Person and determine that he is indeed the happiest person in America? The USA Today research team appears to have used an elegantly simple three-step process.
First, they identified "the world's leading authority on happiness", Martin Seligman ... which must have come as a wee bit of a surprise to several of his equally well-known and equally well-respected peers. How they picked Seligman remains more of a mystery than how a land-locked nation of mountains and yodeling became home to the holy grail of yachting, but we are working feverishly to crack the code.
Next, they asked Seligman to name six principles of happiness. Seligman listed couple strengths, a win-win approach, savoring success, playing to one's strengths, opening doors to opportunity and finding meaning in life.
Finally, they applied Seligman's principles to determine who best matches them. Naawww, just kidding. That would make way too much sense. Instead, USA Today created a make-believe process of its own that stands out from Seligman's list like the Jolly Green Giant at a dwarf convention. Here is the USA Today process.
Geography. It seems that Happiest Person must live in the best place to live, which is Virginia Beach, in case you didn't know. If somebody even happier than Happiest Person lives in San Francisco or Vermont, the USA Today research team does not want to know.
Why confine their search to one town? Could geography be the secret to happiness that Seligman failed to mention? True, research does show that people living in free societies tend to be happier than others, but there is no evidence that where you live within the free world makes a difference.
Sex. Women are prone to higher emotional highs and lower emotional lows, whereas men are prone to more constant emotions. So Happiest Person must be a man, concludes USA Today. While the science does hit the bull's eye, the conclusion misses the barn wall. I suppose they'll be telling us that Seattle is the sunniest spot in America because the weather fluctuates less than in The Sunshine State.
Family. Happiest Person is married, has children, and is healthy. People with intimate relationships do tend to be happier, and marriage is a fairly good indicator (especially for men). And health is important. These may not be among Seligman's six principles, but let's not argue against good health.
Money. Happiest person has a "good, dependable job" as a stockbroker, a 2,300 square foot house (with an eat-in kitchen and a deck!). The truth comes out – money does buy happiness, according to the USA Today research team.
In fact, studies show that money makes a difference only if it elevates a person above the poverty level. When a person has means enough not to struggle for basic necessities, money rarely buys happiness.
Brand-awareness. This one must have made the big ad agency tycoons drool in their Corn Flakes. Happiest Person is for real because he likes all the right brands! He "digs" Coca-cola, so he must be the real thing. And he loves Craftsman tools and Dell computers. Say no more.
Where does the USA Weekend exposé leave the rest of us? If you are a little old lady enjoying retirement in Atlanta or a student conquering new fields of knowledge in Ann Arbor, you clearly are not happy enough for USA Today. But cheer up, even The Happy Guy eats "donuts" rather than "Krispy Kremes".
About The Author
David Leonhardt is the Happy Guy, author of "Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness". Sign up for your free "Daily Dose of Happiness" at http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html, or visit the Self-actualization Resource Center at http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/self-actualization-articleshtml.
Related Articles:
AssureImmune, an Adult Stem Cell Collection and Preservation Company, Launches Premier Services in South Florida
AssureImmune LLC, a company specializing in collecting and preserving adult stem cells, today announced its launch of premier banking services in South Florida. AssureImmune, which began in early 2007, is one of the few adult stem cell collection and preservation companies in the world that uses state-of-the-art automated equipment to collect, test and preserve stem cells from newborn cord blood, children and adults.
Before You Buy A Gay Adult DVD
There are thousands of gay adult DVD titles that are sold and distributed in the market If you are looking for the best one, perhaps, you should not act on impulses and instead strive to find and buy the best there is in the market
How To Talk To Your Kids About Sex, Drugs & Alcohol
Sex, drugs and alcohol -- these are subjects you?ll want to talk about with your children before there is a problem. As a family, you can establish boundaries and consequences and come to a common understanding of what is acceptable.
A Report on the Scenario of UK Adult Personals and Adult Dating Web Sites
Computers and the Internet have had a tremendous impact on society. Together they have become the dominant aspect within our social, business and personal lives, and have completely altered our cultural landscape. From accessing information to shopping, from sharing email to finding life partners, everything is now possible online. Essentially we have created a new world: the virtual world. Let's explore one of the new features emerging from these integral tools that have become so essential to our lifestyle:
Making Your Halloween Costume Sexy With The Right Makeup
Before we even get to applying makeup, you need to consider three things:
Your skin tone
Your costume
Your features
Why are these important Well even if you pick sexy lipstick, using it on the wrong face makes you look very, very cheap and sloppy
Show Your Style With Sexy Bridal Lingerie
Traditionally, brides were extremely limited in their sexy bridal lingerie choices Women were expected to be demure and virginal on their wedding nights, and bridal lingerie choices reflected that innocence
Sexy Lingerie ? Putting Your Best Assets Forward
When is comes to wearing sexy lingerie, women need to be aware of their body type and how it applies to what they wear. Most women have certain things they like about their body and other things that they don?t like. Whether you like it or not, this is just a fact of life.
Sexy Halloween Costumes ? Halloween Just Around The Corner
Halloween will be here soon. It is never too early to start planning what you will wear. Don?t wait until the last second, get thinking now and be ahead of the game.
A Doctor Excuse Gives An Adult A Break From Work
A little pressure and stress is necessary to spur someone on. But too much pressure can inhibit the study limits of a teenager. So, why not try it out?
Protecting Your Children from Sex Offenders and Predators Online
Unfortunately, young children have been the prey of a good many mentally ill individuals in this world. Their pattern is to seek out children in friendship only to pounce upon them when the child lets down its guard in learning to trust the stranger. You must first accept that there is indeed a problem as well as accepting that there may be someone who is a predator of your family.