5 ms·

This data seems weird to me because it look like positive well-being is correlated with suicide. The states in their top quintile like Montana and Colorado are

This data seems weird to me because it look like positive well-being is correlated with suicide. The states in their top quintile like Montana and Colorado are also top states for suicide. So either their survey method biases against people who are about to kill themselves, or well-being as they define it isn't enough to live for.

tzury 9y ago
if the unhappy kill themselves, the remaining are the happier ones who are answering the polls. (*joke)
empath75 9y ago
Or well being isn’t evenly distributed.
ikeyany 9y ago
Obviously well-being itself isn't what life is lived for. Relationships, meaning, community...some things seems inherently better than access to nature. These things seem obvious to most people I know, even if they aren't measurable or publishable.
Trav5 9y ago
I associate rural activities with increased wellbeing. Living in or visiting nature. I also associate guns with rural activities. I wonder how those states correlate with gun control. Suicidal thoughts are often strong but momentary. If there is a gun available, one can take action on the feelings before they pass makeing a momentary thought permanent. Heartbreaking. So my hypothesis is that the same restrictions on society and or culture that decrease the chance of suicide also reduce wellbeing.
- rabboRubble 9y ago
  I associate urban living with more daily physical exercise. Rural residents, non-ranching and non-farming residents, drive everywhere and walk little. If they aren't doing a daily exercise like running or hiking, the carless urban dweller is getting more daily walking in. I know I certainly did when I lived in Tokyo. It was way more easy getting a gym trip under my belt in Tokyo. I recall reading a study correlating elevation with suicide. It might explain the suicide rates in MT/WY/CO. Found it! http://theconversation.com/the-curious-relationship-between-altitude-and-suicide-85716 http://theconversation.com/the-curious-relationship-between-...
Ensorceled 9y ago
Or maybe people who feel suicidal are more likely to commit suicide if surrounded by happy people? You are using one statistic to question a massive (2.5 million people), multiple year study by two well-respected firms. Perhaps it's complicated?
thaumaturgy 9y ago
Or there are multiple factors at play here. For instance, Wyoming has an abnormally high per-capita suicide rate, so it's not hard to find articles that attempt to investigate the reasons for it (e.g. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/suicide-in-wyoming/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/suicide-in-wyoming/). In this case, local culture and the higher rate of per-capita gun ownership is mentioned as likely reasons. You also have the differences in the rate of death by drug overdose in different states (https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html). In a different culture, without access to firearms, people who commit suicide by firearm might otherwise turn to opioids to relieve their pain. Questions like this lead to complicated answers, but fortunately we have access to more data than ever before and, with some effort, a few answers can be teased out for anyone that's curious enough.

tzury 9y ago

if the unhappy kill themselves, the remaining are the happier ones who are answering the polls. (*joke)

empath75 9y ago

Or well being isn’t evenly distributed.

ikeyany 9y ago

Obviously well-being itself isn't what life is lived for. Relationships, meaning, community...some things seems inherently better than access to nature. These things seem obvious to most people I know, even if they aren't measurable or publishable.

Trav5 9y ago

I associate rural activities with increased wellbeing. Living in or visiting nature. I also associate guns with rural activities. I wonder how those states correlate with gun control. Suicidal thoughts are often strong but momentary. If there is a gun available, one can take action on the feelings before they pass makeing a momentary thought permanent. Heartbreaking. So my hypothesis is that the same restrictions on society and or culture that decrease the chance of suicide also reduce wellbeing.

rabboRubble 9y ago
I associate urban living with more daily physical exercise. Rural residents, non-ranching and non-farming residents, drive everywhere and walk little. If they aren't doing a daily exercise like running or hiking, the carless urban dweller is getting more daily walking in. I know I certainly did when I lived in Tokyo. It was way more easy getting a gym trip under my belt in Tokyo. I recall reading a study correlating elevation with suicide. It might explain the suicide rates in MT/WY/CO. Found it! http://theconversation.com/the-curious-relationship-between-altitude-and-suicide-85716 http://theconversation.com/the-curious-relationship-between-...

Ensorceled 9y ago

Or maybe people who feel suicidal are more likely to commit suicide if surrounded by happy people? You are using one statistic to question a massive (2.5 million people), multiple year study by two well-respected firms. Perhaps it's complicated?

thaumaturgy 9y ago

Or there are multiple factors at play here. For instance, Wyoming has an abnormally high per-capita suicide rate, so it's not hard to find articles that attempt to investigate the reasons for it (e.g. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/suicide-in-wyoming/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/suicide-in-wyoming/). In this case, local culture and the higher rate of per-capita gun ownership is mentioned as likely reasons. You also have the differences in the rate of death by drug overdose in different states (https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html). In a different culture, without access to firearms, people who commit suicide by firearm might otherwise turn to opioids to relieve their pain. Questions like this lead to complicated answers, but fortunately we have access to more data than ever before and, with some effort, a few answers can be teased out for anyone that's curious enough.