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'The Happiest Man In America' Lives In Hawaii, Owns His Own Business (VIDEO)

Happiest Person

The Huffington Post   First Posted: 03/ 9/2011 7:32 am Updated: 05/25/2011 7:35 pm

Last week, Gallup published its annual Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, leading The New York Times on a search to find the person who fit the exact demographic specifications. Enter Alvin Wong, who they quickly labeled the happiest man in America.

Only days later, he's gone viral.

The New York Times reports that Mr. Wong has become a bit of a sensation. He's "gone viral" in Thailand, according to family, with international publications itching for an interview.

The Times selected Mr. Wong after asking Gallup, which interviews thousands of Americans to create the index, what the demographic make-up of the happiest person in America might look like.

Their answer:

[H]e's a tall, Asian-American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year.

Here's an excerpt from a video interview with The Honolulu Star-Advertiser:

"My mom was always a believer in 'You don't do things just for money, you do things because you want to do them, you love to do them.' This is what's going to make you get up in the morning and want to do things -- and you're going to go to work happy."

He adds: "If you can't laugh at yourself, then life is going to be very hard on you."

Watch The Honolulu Star-Advertiser interview here:


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Last week, Gallup published its annual Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, leading The New York Times on a search to find the person who fit the exact demographic specifications. Enter Alvin Wong, who...
Last week, Gallup published its annual Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, leading The New York Times on a search to find the person who fit the exact demographic specifications. Enter Alvin Wong, who...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
MikeyJaii
Free $$ For Everyone.
03:37 PM on 03/09/2011
Money is the solution. If you think otherwise, throw it all out see where you'll end up.
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FoxIslander
Fox Island...no relation to Fox News
02:59 PM on 03/09/2011
Gallup should be very proud of this meaningful poll.
05:11 AM on 03/10/2011
I can't help noticing that opinion pollsters weren't mentioned as being particularly happy anywhere in the poll.
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Peter Combs
Amused by the illogical..no, NOT a Republican
11:38 AM on 03/09/2011
Money won't always make you happy, but a lack of it sure will....
10:24 AM on 03/09/2011
Shouldn't get so caught up in the demographical, statistical profiling here. How often does statistical profiling reflect you in other ways. It's not so much that this man sits smack dab in the center of the sampling of people who are happy. I'm pretty sure the thing that all of these people have in common be they young, old, entrepreneur or employee is their attitude and approach to life.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
07:20 AM on 03/09/2011
   The most dangerous threat to our nation is not China that I bemoan for mercantelism.  It is not plutocracy that we could erase with some regulation and graduated taxation.  Instead, it is the tens of millions of anchorless, idleless, totally useless humanity.  Why?  All of us must have a place and purpose under the sun that requires work and routine. We must see ourselves as worthy of our citizenship, worthy of our being alive.
   A nation that punishes the middle class with unemployment and impoverishness and perpetuates generations of "rabble" as was known in the latter years of the Roman Republic to enrich robber barons and central bankers:  Such a nation can only be ruled by autocracy.  The rules of law no longer are accepted.
  The greed, hubris and recklessness of outrageous financier types is destroying our nation.
    We will regret eternally our decision to ignore the plight of the millions of unemployed pleading for work.  They are a volatile mountain of superfluous humanity ready to be ignited.  Our leaders only represent their privileged constituencies and have forsakened the nation of humanity begging for work.
 
03:18 AM on 03/09/2011
I'm confused... own business? That's so... so... well... so capitalist.
I'm so confused...

How can one gain happiness from THAT! I mean come'on, what about our beloved government from cradle to grave?

Doesn't this man's values threaten our having our beloved big government take care of us because we are victims of so many things in life?

Oh the humanity!
06:58 AM on 03/09/2011
Well, I run my own business and love it, but I'm still a socialist. I'm happy to pay taxes on my profit so that the less fortunate can have a life too, what's so weird about that?
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Pandoras Folly
This Micro-bio is of legendary quality
08:08 AM on 03/09/2011
the difference here is degree. a corporation so large that it holds 1/14 of our nations GDP as its vaulation and holds more loyalty to its investors and profit for them is not a good thing. Some guy who makes a living doing computer consulting for hospital information systems and has 4 employees, good thing.
iam99
To know what you prefer...
01:10 AM on 03/09/2011
Eating clean food that I have picked from the wild makes me happy.
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jesushammer
Anon flmthrower
12:18 AM on 03/09/2011
Let me see what his wife looks like before handing him that honor.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Marturia
Are we there yet?
12:12 AM on 03/09/2011
You'd think the happiest man in the world would smile.
12:09 AM on 03/09/2011
He was selected on purely demographic information. 1) that he lives in Hawaii 2) that he is an observant Jew 3) his age 4) that he owns his own business 5) his income 6) he's married etc,. But this doesn't make him the happiest. In other words, he is average for his selection but there are not very many Jews in Hawaii making $120,000 a year at his age. BUT ... He seems to me very insightful and thoughtful. Happiness, too much of it, amounts to denial. Introspection combined with serenity seems ideal.
08:24 AM on 03/09/2011
... not sure he fits the talmudic definition of a jew....
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brooklyncitizen
Soror quaerens lucem
11:36 PM on 03/08/2011
he's jewish?
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09:12 PM on 03/08/2011
Being miserable makes me happy.

When I'm not miserable, I'm not happy, in fact when I'm not happy, I'm miserable which makes me happy. It's a win/win situation all the way around.
03:12 AM on 03/09/2011
Definition of Liberal:

When not miserable, not happy, in fact when not happy, they are miserable which makes them happy. It's a win/win situation all the way around.
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Peter Combs
Amused by the illogical..no, NOT a Republican
11:37 AM on 03/09/2011
kinda like Vegans....they never seem to smile....and too often look rather sickly...
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05:17 PM on 03/09/2011
You got that right Iceberg. I was just being silly but you hit the nail square on his Liberal head.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
bigmadd
Retired Teamster & Vet USN
09:03 PM on 03/08/2011
man I am not happy because I wasn't selected the happiest, dang it! Its unfair it should of been me I'm happy damn it! Can't you see that!
08:55 PM on 03/08/2011
The fact that he is happy is evidence that he just isn't paying close enough attention. ;-)
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08:52 PM on 03/08/2011
' Money can buy you happiness. '
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09:13 PM on 03/08/2011
No, money can't buy you happiness but it can bring unhappiness to a whole new level.
09:53 PM on 03/08/2011
Only to a point, supposedly. I can't remember the exact annual income, it might be $250 K, after which money does not increase your happiness. I think I could live with that. ;p
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brooklyncitizen
Soror quaerens lucem
11:37 PM on 03/08/2011
50,000
03:13 AM on 03/09/2011
You people are amazing...