So now that we know that the most typical person on the planet is a 28-year-old, right-handed Han Chinese man -- nine million strong -- researchers have also apparently determined who is The Happiest Man in America. Believe it or not...The happiest man in America is a tall, Asian American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year.
According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, that's the statistical composite for the happiest person in America, based on the characteristics that most closely correlated with happiness in 2010. The best part is, the New York Times actually tracked down a guy who fits this profile:
You're living the good life, Mr. Wong. I'm not quite there yet... Looks like happiness is going to take several major life changes, including a move to Hawaii, a faith conversion and several more decades of living. But I'm looking forward to it.
Gallup’s answer: he’s a tall, Asian-American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year. A few phone calls later and ...
Meet Alvin Wong. He is a 5-foot-10, 69-year-old, Chinese-American, Kosher-observing Jew, who’s married with children and lives in Honolulu. He runs his own health care management business and earns more than $120,000 a year.
Reached by phone at his home on Friday (and referred to The Times by a local synagogue), Mr. Wong said that he was indeed a very happy person. He said that perhaps he manages to be the happiest man in America because “my life philosophy is, if you can’t laugh at yourself, life is going to be pretty terrible for you."
He continued: "This is a practical joke, right?"
