Reasons to be cheerful

10:11am Saturday 21st June 2008

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ITS residents have known it for years but now a national food firm has confirmed it - the people of York are some of the happiest in the country.

According to research conducted by Mr Kipling - who makes exceedingly good cakes - the happiest city in the country is Bristol, followed by Wolverhampton, but York comes in a very respectable third.

A spokeswoman for City of York Council said the city should have been number one.

She said: "We're delighted that this research has shown what we always knew - that York is one of the happiest places to live in the country.

"The city offers so much for residents and visitors, boasting some of the most important heritage in Europe such as the Minster and the bar walls, as well as a vibrant city centre and retail environment - all of this surrounded by beautiful countryside.

"York's residents are rightly proud of their city and as an exceedingly good place to live, we're just surprised that York did not come out top of the pile."

Visit York agreed with chairman John Yeomans saying no other historic city offered as much variety as York - heritage, award-winning attractions, stylish shopping and a fantastic array of bars and restaurants combining to make the city so appealing to locals and visitors of all ages.

"We have a lot to smile about", he said.

In contrast, Geordies are apparently the most miserable followed by Cardiff, Birmingham and Swansea, while our near neighbour, Leeds, comes in fifth.

Researchers for Mr Kipling spoke to 2,000 people nationwide and found that almost half were happy with their life in general, and only six per cent were completely unhappy.

Forty eight per cent were satisfied with their social life and 67 per cent were happy with their friends and family.

However, with the credit crunch starting to bite, only 29 per cent of people were happy with their finances.

Researchers also discovered that it's not necessarily the big things that make us most cheerful, with more than 92 per cent saying they would be happier with a small, unexpected gift rather than an expensive car or holiday.

The findings show that Brits are peppering the day with small moments of happiness that provide light-hearted enjoyment to raise the spirits. A simple message from a loved one was named as the little thing which makes us happiest, followed by getting into a bed with freshly-washed sheets and waking up on a sunny day.

Chocolate and cake were the top two foods to raise a smile and two-thirds even said they were happy at work - although the research also found that people were at their happiest at 4.59pm on a Friday.

Happy cities

1: Bristol
2: Wolverhampton
3: York
4: Plymouth
5: Sheffield
6: Glasgow
7: Edinburgh
8: Coventry
9: Manchester
10: Aberdeen

Sad cities

1: Newcastle
2: Cardiff
3: Birmingham
4: Swansea
5: Leeds
6: Portsmouth
7: Southampton
8: London
9: Brighton
10: Liverpool