Can’t buy me love, no. Everybody tells me so. Can’t buy love, no. No, no, no, no ...” Go on. You know the rest of the verse, and can finish singing it. The Beatles did. Sales of their single, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” reached sales of $1 million in 1964. And they were right on point, after all.

It’s true, money doesn’t buy happiness. And even though Louisiana ranks in the bottom 15 percent of household median income, and ranks third in the nation for households living in poverty, the Top 5 happiest cities in the nation are still, nonetheless, all situated in Louisiana: Lafayette, Houma, Shreveport-Bossier City, Baton Rouge and Alexandria. 

Using data from a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers at Harvard University and the University of British Columbia found that these five Louisiana cities are the very best cities in the nation to find “life satisfaction.”

Maybe it’s because “laissez les bons temps rouler” is the unofficial motto of the state. Some might say it’s because of our passion for food and music. Others say that it’s because of our deep-seeded religious beliefs and commitment to family. Others say it’s because of how often that we gather together as a community whenever we attend the hundreds of festivals hosted throughout the state, from the Red River Revel to the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival.

As Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne put it, “Very often when you’re talking about having a good time in Louisiana it revolves around food. A lot of our food by its nature is celebratory. Nobody makes a gumbo for one.”

And while the strawberries may be sweet, and the crawfish is spicy, we also should recognize the flavor, and the influence, that our state’s conservative politics has had on our meteoric rise in happiness here. We tend to vote Republican, which is why every statewide elected official in Louisiana is a Republican (with the exception of Mary Landrieu, of course). 

And when we vote Republican, we almost always are voting for Republican principles of lower taxes and minimal government intrusion. Apparently, this makes lots of people feel happy too. And just this year, with an abundant supply of happiness in hand, Louisiana has been voted as one of the Top 10 states for “best for business” by over 500 CEOs across the nation.

In contrast, the northeast and midwest sections of the country are ranked very low in happiness. These are regions that have bloated government bureaucracies and where the residents tend to vote Democrat (and to be unsatisfied, according to the study). 

The taxes in these frowny-faced states are comparatively higher, as well, in order to support those bloated government bureaucracies.

Not surprisingly for us, though, most southern states are among the happiest. These states also tend to vote Republican, but it’s not coincidental. According to the studies going as far back to 1972, conservatives have always been happier than liberals, even when under Democrat Party control. This was overwhelmingly true during both the Clinton and Carter administrations. 

And before any liberals beginning stereotyping these happy conservatives as “the rich,” you should know that it turns out that even “poor” Republicans are still happier than “poor” Democrats. In fact, regardless of income, Republicans are happier than Democrats. 

To be happy, most only need this: A sufficient opportunity to achieve a good life, or pursue happiness, but not a guarantee of it.

If we intend for more Louisiana cities to make the happiness “hit” list next year,  Louisiana voters will need to shape an even happier state. They can do this by focusing on making government smaller, and getting government out of their way, so they can pursue their own happiness. 

They can elect leaders this year who understand economics, and won’t meddle with the free market with higher taxes, so that more businesses will relocate here, and workers will have greater job security and more job opportunities. This helps keep our families together and makes more divorces and broken homes a part of our past – not our future.

If we want even happier cities in Louisiana for 2015, we need to clap our hands together, and make some applause for all that is good in our state, but then we must only elect experienced leaders who are qualified to address what needs improving the most. Then, they can hop on the happiness bandwagon with the rest of us. After all, the grass is always greener where you water it.