Get ready for this, Berkshire County! You want to talk about the power of positive thinking? Chew on this food for thought.

Even with all the negative energy that's out there nowadays with increases in drug crimes, violent crimes, and crime in general, plus the high cost of living...even with all that, a new study says Massachusetts is one of the happiest states in the nation. Really? Really!

This isn't just wishful thinking, either. Recently, NiceRx, the company whose mission is to provide the public with access to safe and affordable prescription medication, conducted a study that ranked the Happiest Places in the World and the USA. But let's just focus on the Happiest Places in the USA.

The team at NiceRx looked at data from several different categories including crime and safety rates, average incomes, health, average life expectancy, etc. They then took all the data for each state and put together what they called a "Happiness Score" from 0 to 10(0 being least happy and 10 being most happy).

And are you ready for this? Massachusetts received a "Happiness Score" of 8.34 out of 10. I know, right? Pretty sweet! Only two states were "happier". Connecticut was #2 and(if you've ever been there you'll know why) Hawaii was the Happiest State of all!

The reasons for Massachusetts ranking so high were many. Massachusetts has the second-highest average household income and the lowest poverty rate! Also, Massachusetts has an average life expectancy of 79 with Hawaii the only state having an average life expectancy of 80.

Incidentally, in case you were wondering, all of the New England states ranked in the top 15. New Hampshire joined Connecticut and Massachusetts in the top 10 coming in at #6.

Meanwhile, Rhode Island is the 11th Happiest State while Vermont and Maine tied for #12. Here are the Top 10:

  1. Hawaii
  2. Connecticut
  3. Massachusetts
  4. New Jersey
  5. Minnesota
  6. New Hampshire
  7. Washington
  8. Utah
  9. California
  10. Maryland

And since you've made it this far, you may as well know which state is the unhappiest. Are you ready? Arkansas couldn't even manage a full point for a "Happiness Score". Arkansas scored 0.65 out of 10.

For more on the Happiest State rankings, and also the Happiest Nation rankings(I won't blow it for you but it's definitely not the USA), visit NiceRx's website here.

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