Huffington Magazine Issue 46 | Page 41

HOW HAPPY ARE YOU? In response, they proposed a Local Wellbeing Index meant to help officials plan smarter policy using ready resources. The plan won Santa Monica a $1 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, which this year will give out $9 million in all to five winning cities via its Mayors Challenge. “Wellbeing is not to be confused with wellness. [It is] a state characterized by a person’s level of fulfillment, engagement, satisfaction, positive outlook, and health.” Santa Monica joins a growing list of North American locales attempting to mimic Bhutan’s GNH, or wellbeing index, and no two Western adaptations are alike. A private index in Canada joins previously unlinked data, including work hours and crime rates, to paint a new picture of Canadian life. In Great Britain, the government survey sent out annually to households nationwide now includes such pointed inquiries as “How happy did you feel yesterday?” and “To what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?” The goal is to govern with a cit- HUFFINGTON 04.28.13 THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE IN AMERICA A new ranking from Gallup and Healthways researchers reveals which U.S. metro areas have the highest and lowest wellbeing, based on healthy behaviors, emotional and physical health, work environment, access to basic services and life evaluation. There were 189 metro areas included in the ranking, which was based on phone interviews with 353,563 people conducted throughout 2012. Here, find the top 10 areas with the highest wellbeing. SCROLL FOR ADDITIONAL CONTENT