Do New Jersey Residents Smile Less? The Data Is In

This is a question that might answer itself, but do you think New Jersey is among America's happiest and smiliest states in America?

Is New Jersey Among America's Happiest States?

Before we give a quick reaction to that answer, it's important to note that most of the negative beliefs about New Jersey residents and our attitudes and levels of smiling come from people who don't live here.

If you ask most New Jersey residents, I think you will find that we think we are very happy and that we smile plenty.

But we also know that if people outside our state get involved, our reputation will precede us.

Do New Jersey Residents Smile More Than Other States?

So, when Matador Network published a study of the happiest and smiliest states, which do you think won out? Was it our perception of ourselves, or our reputation?

Read More: How Much Do New Jersey Residents Complain?

I think we all know the answer. That reputation is a strong one that is not easy to shake. The numbers are not pretty for New Jersey.

What was the rank for the Garden State and our beautiful smiles? According to the data, our percentage of smiling faces is 37.76%, which is the second lowest percentage in America.

New Jersey Is The Second Most Unhappy State In America

And that's not even the worst of the numbers for us. When it comes to our happiness score, we are second to last as well. Only California is less happy than we are.

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I think I speak for all New Jersey residents when I say we are more like our perception of ourselves and less like the reputation that's out there about us.