If Youre Happy And You Know It
Heres some unexpected news to brighten your afternoon: 94 percent of you are happy. We guess that means you dont really need any brightening. A [Harris Poll] of more than 1000 people has found that [94 percent of Americans are either very or somewhat satisfied with their lives](http://www.nypost.com/seven/08152007/news/regionalnews/happy_days_here_again_regionalnews_chris_michaud.htm)or at least tell obnoxious pollsters that they are when asked. (Can you really imagine the following conversation? Annoying pollster: Hello sir, may I ask you how satisfied you are with the life you lead? Annoyed poll-ee: Well, actually, sir, Im not very satisfied. Im miserable. And thank you so much for reminding me of the pain I endure every stinking day of my god-forsaken life. See? Not so much.)
Nevertheless, when participants were asked whether they think theyre better off now than they were five years ago, the picture was less rosy, especially for us East Coasters. Only 42 percent of people living in the Eastern U.S. said that things have improved since 2002, versus 60 percent of Southerners and 62 percent of Westerners. At least were not letting the letdown get us down. You can see more of the poll results [here].