Happiest Cities in America and Countries in the World

How do you measure happiness? The definition is hard to pinpoint, but based on research by the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, which identifies 15 metrics to define happiness, it has found the happiest cities to live in America.

Dan Buettner, who has traveled extensively and defined metrics on which to base his research on the happiest places to live, reports that he has broken down happiness into three products that when woven together create enduring happiness.

Here’s the breakdown for his definition:

1. Pride: life satisfaction, or how you evaluate your life on the whole
2. Pleasure: positive affect – day-to-day happiness
3. Purpose: one’s meaning in life

Overall, the research found that people tend to be happiest when they live near a source of water, and when access to nature, fruits and vegetables and green spaces is easy. Also, walkability and bikeability correspond to higher well-being, which further illustrates the importance of social interactions and people in supporting happiness.

And the winners are:
1. Boulder, Colorado
2. Santa Cruz- Watsonville, California
3. Charlottesville, Virginia
4. Fort Collins, Colorado
5. San Luis Obispo- Paso Robles- Arroyo Grande, California
6. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California
7. Provo-Orem, Utah
8. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut
9. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts
10. Anchorage, Alaska

As for global analysis, Denmark, Singapore and Costa Rica top the happiest countries to live in, based on six common factors: strong economic growth, quality social relationships, generosity, trust, freedom and healthy life expectancy.

For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Daniella Soloway