(Newser)
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Using Gallup data as a guide, the New York Times has sniffed out the happiest person in America—and he has confirmed his good cheer. Every day for three years, Gallup has called 1,000 random Americans and asked them questions related to their quality of life, and its findings suggest a complex recipe for happiness: Try being tall, Asian-American, married with kids, over 65, Jewish, and living in Hawaii. You’ll also need to run your own business, and pull in more than $120,000 yearly. The Times managed to track down a man who fits the bill: Alvin Wong.
He’s a 5-foot 10-inch, 69-year-old Chinese-American living in Honolulu who keeps Kosher and makes more than $120,000 by running a heath care management firm. How does he stay happy? “My life philosophy is, if you can’t laugh at yourself, life is going to be pretty terrible for you,” he says. But “this is a practical joke, right?” Click to see a photo of Wong, or meet the world's most typical person—who is also Chinese.
