Barking up the wrong tree

Move to a rich neighborhood in a poor county:

The relative income or income status hypothesis implies that people should be happier when they live among the poor. Findings on neighborhood effects suggest, however, that living in a poorer neighborhood reduces, not enhances, a person's happiness. Using data from the American National Election Study linked to income data from the U.S. census, the authors find that Americans tend to be happier when they reside in richer neighborhoods (consistent with neighborhood studies) in poorer counties (as predicted by the relative income hypothesis). Thus it appears that individuals in fact are happier when they live among the poor, as long as the poor do not live too close.

Source: "Does Your Neighbor’s Income Affect Your Happiness?" from "American Journal of Sociology"

Honestly, I can't imagine deliberately picking a place to move based on these criteria. That said, my undergrad experience was an analogous situation. The campus itself was nice and filled with well-to-do students but the surrounding area was very poor and dangerous. I can't attribute my mood at the time to that alone but it did combine having a nice lifestyle with being constantly reminded of just how good you've got it.

Have any of you noticed how the surrounding level of wealth has affected your happiness? Post a comment.

Here is where most people in the world want to live

Where are the happiest (and least happy) places on Earth?

Here's a chart of US Gross National Happiness measured by Facebook status updates