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I think the issue is that in places like DC that are crowded, there are more opportunities for people to be rude. If someone is equally as inherently rude but lives in a less crowded area where they interact with others less often, they will have less opportunity to demonstrate their rudeness.
I suppose. I guess I just naturally can't picture rude people as being extremely happy lol. I guess that's my only point. But by any means... good for all the happy people in DC.. I wish you would come out more! ;-)
What? Obviously this list is based on statistics such as income and not real life experience. I've traveled all over the US and Europe and everytime I come back to DC, including places with bad reps such as New York and Paris, I'm astonished at how cold, unpleasant and unhappy most of the people here seem. Maybe it's because I'm on vacation when I'm in other places, but that's my observation.
What? Obviously this list is based on statistics such as income and not real life experience. I've traveled all over the US and Europe and everytime I come back to DC, including places with bad reps such as New York and Paris, I'm astonished at how cold, unpleasant and unhappy most of the people here seem. Maybe it's because I'm on vacation when I'm in other places, but that's my observation.
Exactly!!
But apparently if you have money and a job you are happy....
We know that's true considering all the reports of people who have money and/or jobs that have committed suicide etc.
It seems like the study doesn't really adjust for cost-of-living (as far as I can tell) either. Ie people in DC have high incomes, so the price of everything is higher.
The number one problem in D.C. is sore cheeks at the end of the work day because of all of the smiling and friendliness that one encounters throughout the day.
The obvious joy that District workers display on Metro, the Beltway and just walking around downtown is infectious.
People holding doors open for each other. Courteous driving. Meaningful conversations generally free of self-absorption. Yes, that's D.C. in a nutshell. No wonder D.C. is where happiness comes to live!
The constant hum of "excuse me", "thank you" and "no, please, you first..." that one hears when dealing with the friendly people of Washington, D.C. all day reminds you of the basic kindness that an efficient, selfless city can produce.
They must've polled 10 crackheads a minute after they lit up the rock, DC is not a happy place, you see glum people everywhere like depressed drones. There is no joie de vivre in DC because it's a type A personality town with the type that never is happy: the money driven. Compare it to someplace like Raleigh and it's not even close, people here get fed up with the horrible traffic, high prices for everything and general rudeness/coldness.
^
I get why people say that and there's certainly some truth to it, but I sometimes think the people who have that experience of DC as a rude, intense driven place don't spend much time in the neighborhoods. I just see so many people hanging out on porches or in parks with sidewalk cafes full and bars packed everywhere I go that I have trouble believing this city really fits that stereotype once you get beyond the 9-5 crowd.
^
I get why people say that and there's certainly some truth to it, but I sometimes think the people who have that experience of DC as a rude, intense driven place don't spend much time in the neighborhoods. I just see so many people hanging out on porches or in parks with sidewalk cafes full and bars packed everywhere I go that I have trouble believing this city really fits that stereotype once you get beyond the 9-5 crowd.
Isn't this a bit like saying that the bad boy, career criminal is completely different when he is around his mom?
They must've polled 10 crackheads a minute after they lit up the rock, DC is not a happy place, you see glum people everywhere like depressed drones. There is no joie de vivre in DC because it's a type A personality town with the type that never is happy: the money driven. Compare it to someplace like Raleigh and it's not even close, people here get fed up with the horrible traffic, high prices for everything and general rudeness/coldness.
I personally hated Raleigh and couldn't wait to move back to the DC area. There are mean people everywhere, rude people everywhere, type A people everywhere, depressed people everywhere, etc. While there may be more concentrations of certain types of people in certain areas, the truth is no region is immune to having its own share of jerks. I always take articles like this with a grain of salt because happiness really can't be measured. It is completely subjective. Something that makes me happy could be hated by the next person, and vice versa. While I'm sure most of us would be happier employed than unemployed and earning enough money to live comfortably, after those basic needs are met there are still way too many other variables involved to make blanket statements that one city is happier than another. I'd rather gouge my own eye out with a dull, rusty spike than move back to North Carolina, but I know plenty of people who have moved there and think it's wonderful. As the old saying goes, everything isn't for everybody. We all have to find our own happiness.
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