The Ark-La-Tex is Lopsided When it Comes to Health + Happiness

Many would argue that health and happiness go hand in hand. When one thrives, so does the other.

I am a believer in the idea that health and happiness are correlating factors of one another. When I feel healthy, I feel happy and vice versa. There may be some truth to that, at least according to the Today Show. They took a look at a study of the healthiest and happiest states in America.

The Well-Being Index, published by Gallup and Healthways, took a look at overall health. They looked at physical health, social health and connections, finances, one's sense of purpose and the value of community. These are also factors that could contribute to longevity of life. From this they ranked all states on their well being.

Who came in at the top? Hawaii.

Hawaii was followed by Alaska, South Dakota, Maine, and Colorado. This means that these states are the healthiest and happiest.

Who came in at the bottom? West Virginia.

Others who fell into the bottom five were Kentucky, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Arkansas. It was this bottom five that made me look deeper. The report divided the nation into quintiles, or five equal portions. The highest quintile, those with the best well being, included the state of Texas. The bottom quintile of course included Arkansas, but also Louisiana. It was interesting to me to see such a stark contrast among the Ark-La-Tex. One state ranking very high in well being while the other two are scraping the barrel.