The nation's largest and most northern state scored highest in the 2014 Gallup-Healthways' annual survey of well-being, with a score of 64.7 out of 100. Alaska has previously ranked among the top 10 happiest states, but this is the first year it has been the winner since the survey began in 2008.
盖洛普2014年幸福指数调查显示，全美最大以及最北边的州取得了最高分64.7（总分为100）。阿拉斯加一直被列为全美最幸福的10个州之一。自2008年盖洛普调查发布以来，这是其首次位列第一 。

In second place was Hawaii, which held the top spot from 2009 to 2012, but in 2013 came in eighth. The winner in 2013, North Dakota, saw a dramatic drop in its ranking, coming in 23rd in 2014. This drop was mostly due to a decline in North Dakotans' evaluation of their lives overall, and also an increase in unhealthy behaviors among the population, such as higher smoking rates and less exercise, compared with 2013, Gallup said.
排名第二的夏威夷垄断了2009年至2012年的第一，但在2013年跌至第8。去年排第一的内达科他州，今年出乎意料般的跌至23。盖洛普报告表示， 内达科他州的这种情况主要源自居民生活方式的变化，例如和2013年相比更高的吸烟率，更少的体育锻炼。

The rankings are based on interviews with more than 176,000 U.S. adults in all 50 states. The researchers calculated a well-being score for each state, based on participants' answers to questions about different aspects of well-being, such as their sense of purpose, social relationships, financial lives, community involvement and physical health. 
该调查也基于针对美国50个州176，000名成人的访谈。研究者根据受访者的回答计算出幸福指数。问题涵盖了诸多方面，例如他们的目标感，社团关系，财务状况，社区参与度和生理健康。

States in the Northern Plains and Mountain West tended to have higher well-being scores than states in the South and Midwest. Kentucky and West Virginia came in at the bottom of the rankings for the sixth year in a row, Gallup said.
根据盖洛普报告，和南部以及中西部的州相比，北部平原地区和西部山区的州更有可能取得更高分。肯塔基州和西弗吉尼亚州连续六年来排名垫底。

A population's well-being is important because it is closely tied to people's health and work abilities, such as obesity rates, workplace performance and employee engagement, Gallup said.
盖洛普报告显示，国民的幸福感尤为重要，因为其密切关系到人民的健康和工作能力，比如肥胖率，工作表现和敬业程度。

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index was conducted between Jan. 2 and Dec. 30, 2014, and its well-being score has a margin of error of about 0.1 percentage points.
此次盖洛普幸福指数在2014年1月2日至12月30日期间进行，幸福指数的计算也有0.1%的误差。