NJ residents asked: How would you rate your sense of well being?

A new report that looks at the well being of people in different states ranks New Jersey smack dab in the middle of the pack.

The Garden State comes in 25th in the 2016 Gallup-Healthways State of American Well Being report.

According to Susan Frankle, the managing director for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, the idea is to take a holistic view of things that are important in people’s lives and contribute to their happiness and well being.

“The five elements measured that comprise well-being include your physical well being, but we also measure things around your social relationships, the connection you have to your community, your financial security, also your purpose well-being, things that relate to your sense of purpose and reaching your goals,” she said.

Frankle noted Jersey has the 4th highest social well being ranking in the nation.

“This means having good positive social connections, having social support and love in your life, the relationship with your spouse or partner or closest friend,” she said.

“It’s important to have someone in your life who always encourages you to be healthy, this is a component of social well being, that’s a particular area where folks in New Jersey do well.”

On the flip side she pointed out Jersey gets a very low ranking, 40th in the country, for community wellbeing.

“We asked people [whether] the city or area where they live is the perfect place for them. Are they proud of their community? Can they imagine living in a better community than the one they live in today? And this is an area where the state of New Jersey could improve?”

The Garden State also gets a high ranking for physical well being.

“We see really nice high physical well being, healthy behaviors like exercise, like eating right, smoking less, and it also includes rates of chronic disease. When we round up all of that, the physical well being of the folks in the state of New Jersey ranks in the top 10 in the nation,” she said.

The financial well being of New Jersey residents was ranked 21st best nationally, and we rank 29th best in the area of purpose, which looks at whether you like what you do each day and feel motivated to achieve your goals.

She said to improve and enhance well being in the Garden State, “obviously, it’s always on the individual to change their behavior. But there are things that employers can do, communities can do to nudge things in the right direction.”

Frankle added it’s “really encouraging” to see New Jersey move up in the rankings, from 32nd last year to 25th in 2016.

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