10 Best (and Worst) States for Love: You’ll Never Guess What’s No. 1

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Looking for love? Sure, you could log on to Tinder, OkCupid, or Coffee Meets Bagel and slog through a merry round of speed dating. But if you’ve tried all that and struck out, maybe it’s time to move to … Mississippi!

Yes, you read that correctly.

Let’s take a step back. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we started wondering whether where you live affects your romantic odds. Lucky us: A recent study by Michigan State University breaks down the best (and worst) places to pair up by state by looking at the personalities of those who live there. The study tallied the number of people who were married vs. living alone in each state and then looked at the psychological traits of residents.

The researchers issued a questionnaire to 127,070 adults across the country measuring levels of “attachment anxiety” (that’s where people are “clingy” and constantly worried their partner will bail) and “attachment avoidance” (where people dislike intimacy and are more distant and cold toward their significant others). Both traits are considered bad news for stable, healthy relationships. Correspondingly, states low in these attributes are paradise for paramour.

As for the states that are the best places to fall (and stay) in love, it’s actually a three-way tie for first. But according to these metrics, these are places where you’re more likely to find well-balanced individuals who’d make great mates. Here are the top 10:

1. Mississippi, Utah, Wisconsin (tied for first)

4. Vermont

5. Alaska

6. North Carolina

7. Delaware

8. Minnesota

9. Oregon

10. California, Maine, Washington (tied)

As for the worst states to fall in love, prepare to cry if you live in North Dakota, which came in high for both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance—which means some people you meet here may need a whole lot of space and swear they’ll call but then never follow through. Or else they’ll call you, a lot, until you change your phone number. Creepy! Here are the Cupid clunkers:

1. North Dakota

2. Kentucky

3. Kansas

4. South Dakota

5. Rhode Island

6. Ohio

7. South Carolina

8. Colorado

9. New York

10. Indiana

“We were surprised by the results,” admits study co-author William Chopik, an assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University. As for what caused certain states to rise to the top or sink to the bottom, you can start by blaming the terrain.

“There are reasons to expect people might be less interested in relationships in secluded areas where someone might move due to reclusive tendencies,” he says. In other words: Some people head to the wide, open spaces to be left alone already, not for companionship.

Then again, the pressures of urban life might stanch romantic tendencies, too.

“New Yorkers might be more averse to forming attachments because of the anxiety that goes along with living in a high-pressure city,” Chopik continues.

Last but not least, Chopik says a romantic backdrop could also get those romantic gears turning.

“California, with those sunsets over the ocean and beautiful natural surroundings, is perfect for romantic dates,” he says. “That might factor in.”

All of which begs the question: Should single people pining for love just pick up and move to Mississippi, Utah, or Wisconsin?

Not so fast. The study also looked at each state’s reported happiness levels and mortality rates, and found that neither were in any way correlated to relationship status. In other words, you can be in a loving relationship but totally miserable and on death’s door, or single, healthy, and happy as a clam all by yourself.

Plus, at the end of the day, location matters only so much. As Chopik points out, “Love can happen anywhere.”

Looking for love? These are the top states for “positive relationships” https://t.co/Q0Cb5Deb70 via @TODAYshow http://pic.twitter.com/OPs7nySIRe

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 13, 2017

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