Holy Stress Balls! Texans Really Need To Relax

Apparently living in Texas is very stressful!  This is according to a new study by Gambling.com of the most relaxed states in the U.S.  How do you measure a relaxed state?

Well the study, measured...

"Crime rate - Taken from Statista/FBI.

Air Quality - Taken from Wise Voter.

Forest/Tree cover % - Taken from World Population Review.

Disposable income (remaining monthly salary after rent) - Taken from Forbes & Zillow.

Online searches for ‘meditation’ & ‘mindfulness’ (previous 90 days) - Taken from Google Trends.

All five data points were measured out of 100 using the PERCENTRANK formula, and an average was found to create a final ‘Final Relaxation Score’. States were ranked from highest to lowest final score.

Inverted calculations were used for crime rate & air quality - where lower raw figures result in a higher data point score.

All data was collected and correct on October 6th 2023."

So, with all of that considered, New Hampshire is the Most Relaxed State In America - with the Granite State earning a Final Relaxation Score of 87 out of 100.

The main factor for New Hampshire being #1...

"A lower crime rate, more disposable income, and practicing meditation and mindfulness methods have obvious stress reduction benefits. Being around forests and trees can also have many positives for people’s moods and overall human health, while exposure to good quality air helps prevent a number of diseases and premature death."

Texas was in the top 10 or should I say bottom ten. It was number nine on the list of "least-relaxed" states.  Bad scores all measurement lead to our unfortunate placement.  To paraphrase Biggie, I think it's a case of "more people, more problems (aka more stress)."  So, Texas take a deep breath - and relax.