Surprise, Missouri Named One of the Most Optimistic States in US

You will likely respond to this news with one of two responses. I predict you'll either be encouraged or laugh so hard that you fall down when you learn that Missouri has been named one of the most optimistic states in America. I'm optimistic that you may not believe what I'll show you.

This really is an interesting study done by Icelandic Provisions. They spoke with 5,000 Americans about their outlook on life and what they learned was surprising. According to their scoring system based on responses, only a handful of states scored over a 7. Missouri was close with an optimistic rating of 6.9 making it easily one of the most optimistic states in the Midwest tied with Minnesota and Michigan.

They broke down the optimism (or lack thereof) by generations and found that baby boomers are the most optimistic followed by millennials, Gen Xers with Gen Z bringing up the back.

The study also noted that "boomers don't sweat the small stuff" with only 9% saying daily annoyances frustrate them.

I think I know why Missouri scored so well on this. The state has been through so much over the years with events like the tragic Joplin tornado of 2011 and numerous Mississippi River flooding events that Missourians know there's a light at the end of the tunnel no matter what we're facing today. Tomorrow is another day.

It's funny for someone like me to write those very optimistic words since I despise artificially happy people. Life can be a struggle, but I appreciate that my fellow Missourians know how to keep their chin up no matter what.