Following the link from the article to the site for the study this comes from--Gallup Healthways--one finds on the very first page encountered that Utah ranks in the top 10 among the 50 states in percentage of residents who are "thriving" and percentage of residents who are optimistic about the future
Sure, because finishing school, buying a home and having multiple children, all at a very young age, are probably among the elements they use to factor a "thriving" index. But these are also culturally motivated, and contribute to stress and anxiety.
Two clicks away one learns that Utah is also in the top 10 in the nation in "overall well-being":
Rather meaningless considering all fifty states fall between 61% and 71% and the index uses questionable metrics such as % of uninsured. If you thrown in rate of suicide, which seems to indicate much more about your're well-being, Utah plummets to the bottom 10.
But it says that stress and happiness are "often" related, though not always.
And Utah, though one of the more stressed states even a couple years ago, has climbed in stress in the last couple years, likely for the same reasons driving its drop in overall well-being (from 2nd out of 50 to an abysmal 9th out of 50) whatever those may be. One can only assume that the state was very secular two years ago and has somehow in the meantime defied its longstanding secularism to become deplorably Mormon...?
Give me a break Don. You have absolutely no evidence for this. As for my personal experiences with Utah Mormons, I can easily understand why they'd be so stressed while at the same time passing physical health surveys with flying colors. WIth Utah folks leading teh nation in prescription anti-depressant drug usage, we have to understand that we're dealing with a drugged population that isn't quite themselves, Every time my wife's family visits, it is like an emotional roller coaster. They'll play the part of the eternally happy Mormon and then suddenly have a crap fit for no apparent reason. The family that got me into the Church was a perfect example. FIve kids, they all did what they were supposed to do except one. The four obedient kids went to BYU, got married at an early age, got into debt, and all live in Utah except the apostate. Now these other kids always struck me as the most well rounded human beings I had ever come across. Their example is what attracted me to the church. They were always super nice, well educated, well behaved, etc. From any standard, they appeared to be perfectly happy kids. But I have recently come to learn that Adam has been depressed to the point of contemplating suicide. This, despite being the father of five beautiful daughters. He lives in Orem.
His younger sister has four children as well. Again, from every angle looking at her life, she appears to be extremely happy, having everything a woman would want, living the American dream, married to a handsome, successful guy, raising four beautiful children, etc. But three months ago I find out from his other sister on Facebook that we all needed to pray for her because she was in the hospital. I assumed she got sick or was in an accident, but as it turned out, she took a bottle of sleeping pills and then walked out into the dessert to die. She was found and rushed to the hospital, and by an apparent miracle, survived. This news shocked everyone who knew her. But now she is back on Facebook smiling for teh camera and playing the role of the eternally happy Mormon, yet again. But her family and those close to her, know they need to keep a close eye on her. And Adam, the poor kid.... I used to babysit him, and it makes me depressed just thinking about how unhappy and depressed he really is with his life doing the Mormon thing in Utah.
It seems to me that the Church uses drugs to keep its membership complaisant and obedient. I went on a mission just a year after baptism, and I'll never forget the mild depression I had in my first quarter. I didn't think it was really all that bad, I just was upset about my parents refusing to write to me because they resented me for joining the Church. The Mission President sent me to some Church services office where I met with a counselor who turned out to be a licensed therapist. After trying to tell the guy it was no big deal, that I'll get over this on my own, he insisted on writing me a prescription for Zoloft. That drug KNOCKED ME OUT after two days. I was sleepy all day every day and couldn't figure out wht I was on this drug. After I complained, I was told to go back, and the guy wrote me another prescription for a different drug. The whole time I was confused as to why the Church was trying to force drugs down my throat just because I expressed a slight depression. Now, I think the Church is fully cognizant of the fact that LDS members struggle with faith matters, and it feels it needs drugs to help steer the heard back into formation.