If you had to take a guess on where the old "Happy Meter" registers for the average person in South Dakota, what would you say?

Myself, I'm guessing during the months of December through March, it probably registers rather low given the bitterly cold South Dakota temps that happen all too frequently during the winter months in this state.

The topic of weather does seem to be the common gripe I hear most often from people.

Get our free mobile app

However, outside of the occasional bitch about the weather, most folks genuinely appear to be happy living in South Dakota. When you think about it, there really is a lot to be happy about. Great quality of life, lots of friendly people, low taxes, low crime, (compared to most states), an abundance of jobs, great scenery, wonderful health care systems, fresh air, I can go on and on.

A recent survey from the company Amerisleep appears to back that up.

According to their findings, the state that is known for its "Great Faces" and "Great Places" is also filled with a bunch of smiling faces.

Amerisleep's survey claims South Dakota is the 4th happiest state in the nation, right behind Nebraska, Vermont, and North Dakota.

What is making people so giddy about living in South Dakota?

Our work-life balance and income ranking are the top 2 things, followed by our housing ranking, and environment ranking. Then our health ranking, education ranking, and lastly our safety ranking.

If you combine the scores in all those various categories, we come out being the 4th happiest state in America in 2022.

What state has the nastiest case of resting bitch face in the nation?

According to the gang at Amerisleep that title belongs to the residents of Kentucky. I don't know what is bringing the average Kentuckian down, but I'm going to venture to say it's probably not their bourbon. Their bourbon always brings a smile to my face!