Missouri Ranked Among America’s Least Happy States

Turn that frown upside-down, Missouri. Something needs to be done because the Show Me State has just been ranked near the bottom of the least happy states in America and that's a bummer.

This just in - I am NOT the happiness police

Blame this new report on the happiest states in America on Reader's Digest which my dad had conveniently stacked in our bathroom which is probably more than you wanted to know. They say they looked at 3 factors when deciding which states were happy and which ones were not:

• Emotional and physical well-being
• Work environment
• Community and environment

That's all fine and dandy, but I couldn't see what data they were looking at to figure out the happiness level in a state. It's definitely possible that I overlooked it. Nevertheless, Missouri was ranked among the least happy states in America at #31. Last time I checked, that's in the bottom percentile of states in our great country. Reader's Digest said that Missouri and other states near the bottom have fewer job opportunities, less upward mobility, higher rates and safety issues.

FYI, they rank Hawaii and New Jersey as the #1 and #2 happiest states in America. New Jersey? Really? I don't even think Jon Bon Jovi still lives in New Jersey. Hawaii is a beautiful place, but could you afford to live there? For the majority of us, that's not likely. I had a friend that lived and worked there once and he had an impossible time finding a home to live in. That's why I look at Missouri getting dinged and I wouldn't worry about it too much. Happiness is a relative word that depends on who you are and what you enjoy. I'm happy in Missouri and I'm not the only one.