A study done by the University of Vermont lists our state as the "saddest place in America." The study is based on posts on Twitter.
Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, Louisiana's tourism ambassador, says he doesn't care what the article says, the Bayou State is a happy place.
"We're a very happy people," Dardenne insisted. "We have our challenges, there's no question about that, but Louisiana is filled with 'joie de vivre,' love of life, and people who wouldn't want to live anywhere else."
People around New Orleans this morning also seemed bewildered that anyone could think Louisianans are unhappy.
"We have too many activities every month to be sad," said one woman, who pointed out we did just wrap up a nonstop celebration of fun called Mardi Gras.
"I think it's nothing but excitement," one man said about life in the Pelican State. "We just had a Super Bowl."
And although some locals weren't going to sugar coat things: "the political climate and, living in New Orleans, the crime problem," one man told WWL First News, "New Orleanians over all are very optimistic."
The study used positive and negative key words that flagged in over 10 million Tweets, then cross-referenced them by geography to determine where to find the smiles and the frowns.
Dardenne feels the study is hardly scientific.
"I don't quite know analytically how that happens, but clearly, you can't use isolated words out of context and suddenly determine who's happy and who's sad," said Dardenne.
Dardenne says he prefers to go with a serious poll, done two years ago by "Science Magazine", that shows Louisiana is one of the happiest states.
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