Who Are The Happiest People in America?

Thanks to his hit song, we all know Pharrell Williams is “Happy,” but what about the rest of us?

Well, according to the Harris Poll annual Happiness Index, a decent amount of us are. The poll uses a series of questions to determine the public’s overall happiness, and it found that 34-percent of Americans are indeed very happy.

So, who are the happiest? Well, first of all, older folk, with 36-percent of those ages 50 to 64 considering themselves very happy, and 42-percent of those 65 and older feeling the same. Meanwhile,  those under 50 range in happiness from 30- to 32-percent. Women also seem to be slightly happier than men, 36-percent vs. 33-percent. Another happy group? Religious folks. Thirty-eight percent of those who consider themselves very or somewhat religious describe themselves as very happy, but only 29-percent of those who aren’t religious feel the same way.

And while most people will tell you money can’t buy you happiness, it sure does help. Americans who make under $35,000 aren’t as likely to be very happy as those who make more. In fact, there’s a 30-percent chance that those earning $35K or less are very happy, as compared to 35-percent of those earning more than that. Well, do you blame them?

Do you consider yourself very happy? If not, why do you think you’re not?

If you’re older, what do you think makes you happier than the young generation?

Do you think you’d be happier if you made more money? Or do you think it would bring you a host of new problems?