A recent study by Glint has revealed the happiest and unhappiest places to live in Scotland. It based this data on the best and worst places to purchase a house in the UK using life satisfaction as a key metric - the life satisfaction information was collated from the UK Office of National Statistics as a measurement of happiness.
The review found that Orkney was the happiest location with a life satisfaction score of 9.2 out of 10, Argyll and Bute and the Highlands came in joint second with 7.7 out of 10. Other areas, however, like North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and West Lothian, did not do so well as the three had life satisfaction scores of 7.1 out of 10.
Here are the ten happiest places to live in Scotland that, by the way, have a few entries that coincide with the cheapest places to build properties in Scotland – so why not pursue a life of wealth defined by economics and happiness?
1. Orkney
Orkney, the archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland, takes first place with a life satisfaction score of 8.2 out of 10. Photo: Steven Anderton from Getty Images
2. Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute takes second place with a life satisfaction score of 7.7 out of 10. Photo: via WikiCommons
3. Highlands
The famous Scottish Highlands comes in at joint second as it also has a score of 7.7 out of 10. Photo: BIG ALBERT via Flickr
4. Dumfries and Galloway
Just a tiny bit less happy than the Highlands, Dumfries and Galloway has a life satisfaction score of 7.6 out of 10. Photo: Kent Clark via Flickr