There’s a correlation between happiness and suicide rates, according to a new study from researchers in New York and the United Kingdom..

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Transcript.

BY MIRANDA WHEATLEY

ANCHOR ALEX HOLLEY

A new study from researchers in New York and the United Kingdom says there’s a correlation between happiness and suicide rates.

"...findings show that in certain cases, the happiest places also have the highest suicide rates."
(ThirdAge)

Case in point - Utah.  The state ranks number one in happiness but has the 9th highest suicide rate in the country.  U.S. News and World Report shares an explanation...

"...people surrounded by others who are unhappy don't feel so bad for themselves ... Living around people who are satisfied with their lives, on the other hand, can make you feel even more miserable."

But Utah’s KSL points to what they call the real problem -- suicide rates in Utah’s youth. 

“They also caution against that misery really does love company.  According to the Utah Department of Health suicide is the second leading cause of death in the state among men ages 10 to 44.  [flash] Suicide’s concerning at any age but I think especially with our youth we need to be able to help them see that there are a lot of options and they have a lot of things going for them.”

And while the study poses tough questions for happier states, it also proves, as is the case with the state of New York, happiness isn’t everything.

“The stereotype of the gruff uncheerful New Yorker is spot on.  The state ranks in the bottom 10 percent of the country for residents’ well-being, but the good news is New York has the lowest suicide rate in the country.”
(NY1)

The researchers believe the increase in suicide rates is directly linked to socioeconomic disparity. TIME explains...

“[In] baboons, lower ranked animals have higher levels of stress hormones and worse health. But when status conflicts are reduced, producing a more egalitarian situation, these differences are also reduced. ...increasing happiness by reducing economic inequality could paradoxically produce more suicides as a ‘side effect.’ But this is one problem we are unlikely to have, as economic inequality is high and rising in the U.S.”

The researchers found four of the ten happiest states in the U.S. - Utah, Wyoming, Nevada and Colorado - also made the list of states with the highest suicide rate.  For more information check out the link in our transcript section.

“Dark Contrasts: The Paradox of High Rates of Suicide in Happy Places” (Hamilton College)