Louisiana recently claimed the top spot in a study of happiest places in the U.S., with the top five happiest cities all being in the Bayou State. Cities in the Teche Area might not have made the Top 10, but that didn’t keep local residents from speaking up about what makes them happy.

“What makes me happy is seeing smiling faces,” said Jane Braud, director of New Iberia’s Planning and Zoning Department, whose ringtone happens to be Pharrell Williams’ upbeat song, “Happy.” “I think we have a lot of people with positive attitudes. Our area has so much to offer, music and festivals, which impact our quality of life.”

The one thing she can’t stand, she said, is negative attitudes.

“Occasionally you run into people who enjoy being a complainer, people who are looking on the down side of things,” she said. “We have so many things to be thankful for here. It takes a lot to bring me down.”

Asked to rate her happiness on a scale of one to five, one being unhappy and five being near euphoric, Braud rated her happiness level as a five.

Julie Boutté of New Iberia shares that level of happiness. Boutté said watching her son Dustin Boutté grow up and become a responsible and independent adult in this community has made her so happy. He said waking up to see his parents makes him equally happy.

Phaedra Perkins, president of the Jeanerette Chamber of Commerce, said the sense of community that comes from a small rural town makes her happy.

“Jeanerette has the benefits of a small-town, rural feel but is close enough to big cities to enjoy what they offer, too,” she said. “We’ve seen individuals come together more recently to better Jeanerette, such as the beautification committee. It’s the people and culture that people enjoy here. I love Jeanerette and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

Perkins also rated her happiness as a five.

St. Martinville Mayor Thomas Nelson said he enjoys relaxing.

“Mostly staying home and working in the garden with my grandkids,” he said. “Being healthy and living, being healthy is most important to me.”

Nelson, rated his happiness at a five, as well, and noted stress from his work as something that makes him unhappy.

“Sometimes, as a public official, you have to deal with certain people,” he said, “and it seems like the more you do for them, the more ungrateful they are.”

Festivals and other community events, Arlana Shields, director of Community Development in Franklin, said, are what make people in Franklin happy.

“What makes people in the community happy are our events,” Shields said. “(The Bayou Teche Black) Bear Festival, the Harvest Moon Festival, the Art Walk and the Christmas Parade are all good examples. I like to see people getting along and enjoying the events.”

People getting hurt or abused, physically or verbally, is upsetting, Shields said. She rated her happiness at a four for the moment, but said it will be at five after she visits her nephew in Indiana soon.

Positive attitudes, community, relaxing and festivities are just a few of the things that help make Louisiana one of the happiest places in the U.S. Even if the Teche Area wasn’t asked to be included in the happiness survey, its residents seem quite content.

Lafayette ranked as the happiest city in the nation in the report from researchers at Harvard University and the University of British Columbia with Houma, Shreveport-Bossier City, Baton Rouge and Alexandria filling out the top five and Lake Charles placing as the eighth happiest city.