The Deseret News circa 2007 read: “Utah most depressed state in the country.”
Utah is the most depressed state in the country, according to a nationwide study.The first-of-its kind examination of “level” of depression and actual outcomes for those seeking help for it ranks Utah 51st on a list of 51. South Dakota has the “best depression status” in the country.
Just two years later: “Feeling unhappy? Move to Utah”
Never mind the anti-depressant drugs. A recent study suggests that the saddened at heart should consider moving to Utah for a happiness boost.
Running at nearly 70 points on a well-being scale out of a possible 100, Utah hit the top of the charts according to a study by University of Cambridge researcher Jason Rentfrow.
So what explains the disparity between these studies? And which do you find more believable: Utah as the happiest state or the most depressed?
For those who fall squarely in the latter camp and believe that Utah’s depression/suicide rates are tidily reducible to Mormonism, you owe it to yourself to consider FAIR’s apologetic articles on this matter. Some good points are raised.
I think, possibly, it’s both–depending on how the study is conducted and who is included or excluded from the statistics.
This might show that Utah has the biggest happiness “spread” in the country. If your personality meshes well with the dominant culture, you will probably be quite happy, and the reverse could also be true.
Or, this state is just totally weird.
It is both. If you’re a Mormon, you’re phenomenally happy. Since Utah has the highest MPC (Mormon per capita) rate in the US, it’s the happiest state. On the other hand, if you’re a godforsaken atheist, you’re phenomenally depressed. Yes, even at Utah’s extremely low APC (atheist per capita) rate, the phenomenal depression of our atheists drags us down and makes us the most depressed state in the union. Thanks, SHAFTers.
I have to disagree. I am an atheist in Utah and I am not depressed at all. I know many Mormons –hell, most everyone I know here is a Mormon– and not all of them are “phenomenally happy” and some couldn’t even been classified as “happy.” It is not reasonable to make such sweeping assumptions. I agree with James. Utahans tend to be very judgmental and, as such, people that don’t fit in REALLY don’t fit in.
I think those most prone to depression in Utah aren’t atheists or non-Mormons, but rather believers who don’t live up to their church’s standards or don’t conform to Mormonism’s cultural norms–Jack Mormons, liberal Mormons, gay Mormons, etc. These people are most subject to people’s judgments and are under the strongest familial and social pressures to conform.
I agree Jon, if you belong(fit in) to a strong culture, even if it’s a small one(Eg: nature loving liberals in Logan), you’ll be much happier than if you feel like you don’t belong, don’t have a support system, and/or lack true friends. I’ve heard hypotheses that a decent percentage of Mormons are suffering from the same “illness” as the housewives of the 50s, where they had come out of typical gender roles for WWII then been pushed back into them when the soldiers came home. Everyone around you tells you that you have everything you need to be happy, that you should be happy, but you aren’t and don’t really know why(or feel guilty for not being appropriately grateful). That may help explain the antidepressant and prescription drug abuse as well as why people say they are happy. By the standards they’ve set for themselves they should be happy by all rights, so they say “I’m happy” because they are focusing on that and not actual day-to-day feelings. Obviously this isn’t the only reason, but it helps explain part.
I recently looked into the methodology behind the study that claimed that Utah is the happiest state, and it struck me as bogus. The study used several criteria in scoring happiness. To some extent, happiness was self-reported–that is, people just claimed they were happy (which wouldn’t surprise me given our culture. Second, the researchers counted a state’s physical health toward its happiness score. The less obese the state, the happier it is, they reasoned (curiously). Researchers even counted a state’s smoker population against it’s happiness score. If you’re a smoker, I guess you’re automatically less happy…?
Just some things to consider.
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“If you’re a smoker, I guess you’re automatically less happy…?”
you would be surprised man
This is an obvious attempt to indict the LDS Church by attributing the state’s high depression rates with the large Mormon population. Sorry, but if we were to be truly “scientific” in all of this, shouldn’t we try to analyze depression rates among members of the LDS faith, and not simply rates in the state of Utah? If depression is endemic to Mormons, then shouldn’t depression be raging in states and other places with a significant LDS population? According to Mental Health America, South Dakota is the “most depressed state,” could that be related to the 5,925 severely depressed Mormons there? (Funny, enough, Utah ranks no. 51 in this study, meaning it is the “least depressed” state- they also count Puerto Rico). It’s all pretty ridiculous.
All of this talk about “depressed believers” urges me to remind the peanut gallery that the religious are statistically more likely to consider themselves “happy,” “content,” and “optimistic,” while the irreligious are more likely to be “sad,” depressed,” and “pessimistic about the future.” Sorry, folks, but the data isn’t on your side. (If you would like the stats, let me know and I’ll send you some links, articles, and books)
Marc, I rather doubt that you read my post or people’s subsequent comments. I think we’ve had a measured, reasonable, and informed discussion on the matter. Refer to the following comments:
“I think, possibly, it’s both–depending on how the study is conducted and who is included or excluded from the statistics.”
“It is both. If you’re a Mormon, you’re phenomenally happy. … On the other hand, if you’re a godforsaken atheist, you’re phenomenally depressed.”
“I agree Jon, if you belong(fit in) to a strong culture, even if it’s a small one(Eg: nature loving liberals in Logan), you’ll be much happier than if you feel like you don’t belong, don’t have a support system, and/or lack true friends.”
How you read anti-Mormon intentions into those comments is beyond me.
And how exactly is this an “obvious attempt to indict the LDS Church” when I include in my post two LDS apologetic articles that attempt to rescue the church from such an indictment?
You’re neglecting the nuances of this debate. The argument isn’t that believing Mormons are unhappy per se. Many posters here have argued the opposite–that, as you claim, believers are happier. Where Mormonism may play a role is where it concerns “Jack Mormons” and non-Mormons here in Utah. For those who don’t belong to the LDS community or who can’t/don’t live its standards, the church’s influence in negative.
I still maintain, however, that some faithful Mormon women feel incredible pressure to meet elusive ideals about being a wife and mother. I’ve witnessed this in my family, as I’m sure many have theirs. My mom was told by her bishop, for example, that I had left the church and was bisexual because of deficiencies in her parenting. Such a belief is common among Mormons (thanks to leaders like McConkie and Kimball), and it exacts a steep emotional toll.
It’s also important that the LDS Church is so predominant here in Utah. It’s near-omnipresence in Utah can be alienating for those who don’t fit the Mormon mold. That’s why it’d be irrelevant to analyze other states with a significant LDS population–in no other state do Mormons even approach a majority. Indeed, the next two Mormon states after Utah are Idaho (with 19% Mormons) and Wyoming (with 10%).
“According to Mental Health America, South Dakota is the “most depressed state,” could that be related to the 5,925 severely depressed Mormons there? (Funny, enough, Utah ranks no. 51 in this study, meaning it is the “least depressed” state- they also count Puerto Rico). It’s all pretty ridiculous.”
What’s ridiculous is that study’s methodology, which I briefly touched on earlier in the comment thread. Again, you’ve demonstrated that you didn’t read the discussion.
Jon, I realize that you initially demonstrated a more objective angle on the issue (i.e. FAIR’s arguments), but after reading some of the comments, including yours, it seemed to me that the purpose was to draw a parallel between Utah’s depression and the state’s active LDS population.
You said:
“I think those most prone to depression in Utah aren’t atheists or non-Mormons, but rather believers who don’t live up to their church’s standards or don’t conform to Mormonism’s cultural norms–Jack Mormons, liberal Mormons, gay Mormons, etc. These people are most subject to people’s judgments and are under the strongest familial and social pressures to conform.”
Sorry, but despite the more reasonable accommodations made earlier, it seems that this reveals your true feeling on the matter. Of course you can say that you are making a cultural observation, but it seems to me that there is another conclusion to be found.
It’s incredibly difficult not to see criticisms of “Utah culture” (for example, Adam’s statement that “Utahans tend to be very judgmental”) as criticisms of LDS members and/or the Church in general. Let’s be honest here, jabs against Utahans and jabs against Mormons are nearly identical.
And I will agree with you that the methodology of MOST studies measuring happiness are bogus.
How is noting that liberal believers or Jack Mormons are “most prone to depression” an indictment of Mormonism? If anything, Mormons ought to take my argument and run with it. Because, by implication, what I am saying is that the less Mormons adhere to the church’s beliefs and norms, the less happy they become! Because without conforming, Mormons can’t enjoy all the benefits of their church community–and it’s in communities that people find happiness.
So again, I think you’re being oversensitive. You misread what was a rather charitable comment about Mormonism as an attack on your religion.
“Let’s be honest here, jabs against Utahans and jabs against Mormons are nearly identical.”
If “Utahn” is synonymous with anything, it’s Utah Mormons–not Mormons in general. But that Utah culture and Mormon culture are blurred is not the fault of non-believers. The fact is, for good or ill, there is a lot of overlap between Utah culture and Mormon culture; the two inform each other. And given that Mormonism is so predominant in our state, it’s reasonable to suppose LDS influence when considering our state’s peculiarities. It’s not the only factor, but it is often a primary one.
I have some close connections with people that actually work in the field, and am told that this is a theory that deserves serious consideration. There is some anecdotal evidence for some connection, but there is no good research out there on it.
A more general remark about the relationship between belief and happiness, from Plato: “False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil” (Phaedo). I am with Plato, those that believe false things are more likely to have unhappy and disordered souls.