LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – If someone tells you, “don’t worry, be happy” and you live in Michigan, that might be hard to do. According to a recent study by WalletHub, Michigan ranks #33 in their list of happy states.
What makes one state more happy than the others? Although happiness is obviously a subjective thing, the folks at WalletHub analyzed several factors in order to come up with their list. It includes research to determine a combination of internal and external factors including how people approach situations and if they spend time with people they love, are able to do the activities they enjoy and have enough money to do what they need or want to do.
WalletHub says that in some years, it’s easier to be happier than others and in 2023 things are hard with high inflation remaining a threat to Americans’ mental health. They go on to say that, according to a January report by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), more than 75% of Americans who have experienced price increases where they live report feeling “very” or “moderately” stressed. In addition, only 50% of Americans feel “very satisfied” with the way their personal life is going.
Whether it’s politics, the crisis at the border, gun violence, the economy, climate change. the Russia-Ukraine war, the upcoming elections or something more localized in their own communities or homes, Americans are anxious – and mostly about their shrinking bank accounts.
That’s because they are finding that their grocery bills have increased by 30% or more of what they used to be and their gas prices have more than doubled since President Biden took office. Everything is going up – heating bills, electric bills, vet bills…And although expenses are continually going up, incomes don’t seem to be raising at the same pace.
So people are unhappy. When WalletHub looked at all 50 states across 30 key metrics ranging from depression rates, the percentage of adults feeling productive, income growth, unemployment rates, suicide rates, food-insecurity rates, life expectancy, amount of sleep and more, Michigan doesn’t fare well at all.
Unhappiness could be the cause of why so many Michiganders are leaving the state. So many in fact that Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has even put together a task force, the “Growing Michigan Together Council” to get to the bottom of the problem. And that does seem to be the problem – that Michigan is currently at the bottom.
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