This article was linked to in one of my morning feeds for HR professionals. I found it so interesting but the disconnect kind of makes my head spin.

https://wallethub.com/edu/happiest-states/6959/#

So Utah is listed as the 2nd happiest state. Some of the good indicators are 2nd in sports participation, 1st in volunteer rate (I discount that one--we know it's skewed), 1st in fewest work hours, 5th in income growth, 1st in lowest divorce rate. All good, right? Then why do they have the 5th HIGHEST suicide rate?

From my own experience, I can say that the most suicidal I ever was was when I felt stuck in my marriage and thought I could never possibly get divorced and support myself. With Utah having so many families where they have more than 1 or 2 kids and the woman has very little education, could that influence the low divorce and high suicide rates? Could it be people answering "yes, I'm SO happy" because that's what they're supposed to be? I probably would have done that too. "Yes, this is happiness isn't it?" Until there are no amount of anti-depressants to cover up the fact that it isn't. Is the high "volunteer rate" (i.e., people being compelled to give hours and hours of their time to "charity") a driver in the suicide rate? I give a lot of my time to volunteer work now and nothing makes me happier. But it's 1) things I actually volunteer for, and 2) doing things that lead to improvement in people's lives or advancement of their civil rights. I'm sure that's the concept behind the "volunteer rate" tied to happiness level that they try to measure.

Or is it that there is a much larger than average rate of LGBTQ and teen suicide? Am I the only one who doesn't get this?

No. You aren't the only one. When I see Utah make it high on this type of happy list or whatever my radar goes off.

First, if this is done through polls, there isn't a Mormon out there (well maybe one) who isn't going to lie about their happiness because Mormons MUST be the happiest people on earth because the ARE God's chosen and their superior happiness is their proof.

So I always imagine them filling out their questionaires extolling their happiness as they down a couple of Xanax with a sugary drink, fidget with the garments at war with their private parts, with the door locked so their gay kid can't get back in, and are actually seething that they suspect their husband is addicted to porn and are anxious to check the computer as soon as he goes out to minister all while they feel bad as to the excuse they gave for not showing up to clean the church last Saturday.

I gave my mission speech about how Mormons were the happiest because only we had the true gospel. I didn't even realize at the time I was lying because I had nothing to judge us against.

No, NormaRae. I'm not buying it either.

You're definitely not the only one. I instantly thought "paradox" after reading that Utah is claimed as the "second happiest state" and yet as a very high suicide rate.

As far as the "volunteering" goes. I can't help but wonder if the "volunteering" has something to do with church callings. I've known quite a few mormons (or whatever they're calling themselves these days) priding themselves on stating that the church is made up of volunteers as there is no paid clergy.

I'll admit that I once added Volunteer Sunday School Teacher to my resume because I was hoping that it would look good there, especially when I was (then) planning to graduate with an Early Childhood Development/Early Childhood Education degree.

severedpuppetstrings Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As far as the "volunteering" goes. I can't help
> but wonder if the "volunteering" has something to
> do with church callings. I've known quite a few
> mormons (or whatever they're calling themselves
> these days) priding themselves on stating that the
> church is made up of volunteers as there is no
> paid clergy.

It does. These types of surveys count any time spent doing things for a church as "volunteer work." So every Utahn with a church calling gets marked down as doing "volunteer work."

They also count tithing as money donated to charity.
Which is yet another sick joke...

Wasn't Utah just named worst for women in terms of wages etc? Gee, that sure adds to the happiness survey. I don't buy this ranking AT ALL.

NormaRae Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>Could it be people answering "yes,
> I'm SO happy" because that's what they're supposed
> to be? I probably would have done that too. "Yes,
> this is happiness isn't it?" Until there are no
> amount of anti-depressants to cover up the fact
> that it isn't.

I wonder that as well. I wonder how many mormons do this.
I've done it. I've struggled with depression since I was in my teens. At twenty-six, I had a cerebral hemorrhage, and in my recovery I struggled emotionally and mentally (it is the brain after all). But I had to plaster a smile on my face, because in that church, that's how you HAD to exist. The gospel is supposed to make you happy, HAPPY as if it's some kind of drug.
That fakery left me feeling drained when I came home. So much for taking the time to heal. I survived and have to gospel, so everything was supposed to be "peachy-weachy"!
*eyeroll*



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2018 12:28PM by severedpuppetstrings.

The Motrix is Neohappy.

I'll toss in some "observations from a lifetime of living on Planet Utah," and I'll just attempt a measure of objectivity from a "Technical Nevermo's" perspective.

I think part of it is directly traceable to that old river "Denial" and the need to maintain a façade where "everything is okay."

"Patriarchal authoritarianism" is clearly part of the problem, and the belief structures, hierarchy, and culture all function to maintain and reinforce that illusion. I mean this is "The One True Church," right Elder Hoax?

Self-reporting? I don't trust that, and I think the research is clear about its pitfalls. Mormons of both sexes are "taught to ignore the obvious" from a very early age.

'Nuff... Wonderful to hear from you, NR, and I'm happy we both know each other's "Secret RFM Temple Names."

Selling religion when you don’t have the personality of a salesman is stressful.
Selling a religion you have doubts about is more stressful.
Pretending you enjoy your calling, or that your marriage is perfect or that you even believe in Mormonism is stressful.
Being LGBTQ and being unsubtly told you’re going to hell is stressful.

I wonder why Utah is not #1 in suicides.

Nail, meet hammer. Exactly. I don’t know what’s more stressful, pretending to be oh so happy or wondering what’s wrong with you when you’re totally following the happiness plan and it just ain’t there. So easy to think “if this is as good as it gets, just make it be over.”

Starting with self reporting volunteerism. We all know how "Volunteering" works in the LDS church and how happy most of that "volunteering" made us. I do remember enjoying helping old folks in my ward when I was a teenager, teaching my junior sunday school classes I taught, to sing non-church church worship songs and serving as a cubmaster. Other than that church callings were tedious hell.

on the face of it (literally, Facebook for one thing).

Engage them in conversation for more than a few minutes and you get a completely different picture. I'm only surprised that they so readily reveal how miserable they really are.

TBM FIL has raised this to an art form. We see him very infrequently. When we do he manages to put on his smiley face. Then later we hear about how miserable he is most of the time.

They've raised farce to a new level.