Reuters: 49% of Americans describe themselves as "thriving" and 4% as "truly miserable"

According to the researchers at Gallup, almost half of Americans describe themselves as "thriving" (that is few health or money worries), another 47% say they are "struggling" (mostly reporting money issues), and about 4% report themselves as "suffering" through life. The results were based on a 70 question well-being survey of more than 100,000 people. The researchers noted the relationship between money concerns and state of health as well as the relationship between overall health and poor personal lifestyle choices. From Reuters:

"51 percent of Americans are stuck in a cycle of chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes, in part because of their poor choices."

"Many are stressed, worried and overweight, all factors which lead to illness and, ultimately, lifelong health conditions."

Smokers really stand out, Kahneman said. "The impact on well-being is very, very striking," he said. For example, 54 percent of smokers with a chronic health condition such as diabetes or heart disease reported having experienced "a lot of" stress the previous day, compared to 38 percent of non-smokers with similar health problems.

The message is clear. Failing to make the right lifestyle choices such as eating properly, getting exercise, and not smoking, puts you at significantly increased risk of joining the 47% of Americans who report struggling with health and money. Middle age in particular can an exceptionally difficult time (and represents a low in overall life satisfaction) but it is a critical time health wise and the personal decisions made during this period will have significant and far reaching implications on the quality of life in later years.