January 12, 2017
Pennsylvania is for lovers?
Maybe it's the rolling landscapes and vast hiking trails or perhaps the potholes and the mystery meat known as scrapple, but there's something endearing about the Keystone State that brings people together, according to one recent study.
Researchers from Michigan State and the University of Illinois conducted the report, which is being called "the first nationwide study of positive relationships" and looked at patterns across each state.
The study surveyed nearly 130,000 people across the nation on factors like attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, asking questions relating to how comfortable the participants felt about opening up to their partners or whether or not they're concerned that their partners are in love with them.
The research wasn't completely based on personal opinion – the researchers also considered divorce rates in each state or how many people have never been married. Each state's well-being, determined by a Gallup poll, and mortality rates were also considered.
States that scored the lowest in both categories ranked highest on the list.
LiveScience got ahold of the study published in the Journal of Research in late December and found which state ranked where.
Pennsylvania found itself pretty high up on the list at No. 13, one spot ahead of Arizona and one below Washington. Delaware was at No. 7.
New Jersey fared a bit worse at No. 26.
William Chopik, one of the study's researchers from Michigan State, said that many states fit their "stereotypes."
"When I think of New York, I think of the anxious Woody Allen type, and New York had one of the highest scores for attachment anxiety," Chopik said in a statement. "California, on the other hand, seems like a romantic place with beautiful sunsets, oceans and warm weather. And Utah residents are known to be very nice, warm and generous, which many people attribute to the large Mormon population."
New York ranked at No. 42, according to LifeScience. California came in at No. 10.
Check out the top 10 states below or the full list here.
1. Mississippi
2. Utah
3. Wisconsin
4. Vermont
5. Alaska
6. North Carolina
7. Delaware
8. Minnesota
9. Oregon
10. California
