Brighton tops the list of UK’s happiest cities
BRIGHTON is the happiest city in the UK while Edinburgh is the most depressed, according to research.
In a nationwide survey into the satisfaction of the nation, Brighton and Hove was crowned the happiness place with more than a third of the city’s population choosing the word ‘“happy” to describe their lives.
By contrast just 16 per cent of Edinburgh residents described their lives as “happy” favouring the words “anxious” and “depressed” instead.
Brighton beat competition from Leicester and Portsmouth to take the top spot. Oxford, Norwich and Bristol also appeared in the top 10, while Manchester, Belfast and Cardiff all took high positions.
Marketing director Kerry Collinge, for 9NINE Super Seed brand, which commissioned the study, said: “Brighton residents have found themselves topping our happiest city chart. Maybe it’s the sea air and sunny weather that keeps them smiling.’’
The study asked 3,000 Britons to consider their general life satisfaction and rate how they feel on a scale of one to 10.
Oxford came top in the life satisfaction stakes with a score of 6.72 out of 10, while Edinburgh found itself at the bottom of the table with an average of 5.89.
When asked to rate their life satisfaction on a scale from one to ten the average Briton gave themselves a 6.37 out of 10.
Just one in 10 rated their life satisfaction at nine or above, indicating excellent life satisfaction.
Researchers also looked into the ways we boost our mood and found three in five look to bed for comfort in hard times, and over half lean on family for support.
Forty three per cent play their favourite music when they need to raise their spirits with reading a book proving more popular for boosting our serotonin levels than sex.
And it’s the typical British weather, which is most likely to get us feeling down in the dumps, in first place – with 40 per cent claiming inclement weather has a negative effect on their emotions.
Ms Collinge added: “Our study has helped to show that when it comes to the secret of happiness the simple things in life are usually best. Forty winks, close friends and enough time with our favourite food and entertainment seem to keep a smile on the faces of most.”