Massachusetts Wins Again…#1 in the Country When It Comes To…

We have all gone through a number of changes since the start of the pandemic in 2020.  Changes in our lifestyle, career, and changes in our social behavior to name a few.  I have always been a bit anti-social.  I personally like a small circle of trusted friends.  I’ve been joking (sort of joking) to friends for decades that “I hate people.”  One of those friends in my small circle last week said “you are so right…I hate people too”.  It's not that I really hate people I just do want my precious life minutes wasted on BS by people I don't know or from those I really don't trust.

Now more than ever people have adopted my way of thinking.  Sure, the political division and frustrations brought on by COVID have certainly helped fuel that anti-social attitude.  But is it more than that?  Could it be that being born, raised, and living where I do has contributed to my anti-social stance?  Apparently, the answer is “yes” according to a recent survey by the SimpleTexting company.

SimpleTexting created a survey to find out “How Anti-Social Are You”?  The survey received input from 3,200 Americans across the country last October.  They asked the participants to rate themselves on a scale of one to five when it comes to anti-social behaviors.  On the scale…1 you are “never anti-social” and a 5 is the top of the “always anti-social” scale.  The SimpleTexting survey defined the term “anti-social” this way… “unmotivated by the company of others, showing a disinclination for social activity/social settings, or avoiding making plans with others.”

The SimpleText survey broke the results down by state and the #1 Most Anti-Social State in the Country is (drum roll) MASSACHUSETTS!  I could not be prouder to live in Massachusetts than I am right now.  In a landslide, Massachusetts was on top of the anti-social mountain with an 11.75% score.  The average across the country was only 3.218%.

To give you an idea of the wide birth of Massachusetts’ dominance as the most Anti-Social State, out of the top ten most anti-social states Mass was close to 12% while the 10^th most anti-social state registered just 2.79%.

Here’s the breakdown of the “Top 10 Most Anti-Social States” according to the SimpleTexting survey…

#1 Massachusetts 11.75%

#2 Nevada 9.06%

#3 Kentucky 6.90%

#4 Idaho 6.63%

#5 Michigan 6.02%

#6 Missouri 5.41%

#7 Connecticut 4.58%

#8 Oklahoma 3.98%

#9 Kansas 3.79%

#10 West Virginia 2.79%

While New England was represented by Mass and CT as anti-social three New England states landed in the top 10 of the “Least Anti-Social States” in the country.  Rhode Island was #1 the least anti-social state according to the SimpleTexting survey.  Rhody registers a -9.17%...Vermont was #2 with a -7.40% and New Hampshire was #6 with a -3.90%.

The survey includes a lot of other data on social preferences and behavior.  A graph I found interesting was the pie chart outlining “Which Factor Has Most Influenced Your Anti-Social Behavior in Recent Years.”  No surprise that “COVID-19” led the way with 19% followed by “Technology” with 22.8%... "Other” was 19.5%...11.5% are “Burned Out from Work” …9.7% “Have Not Felt Anti-Social” …and 7.9% blame a “Romantic Relationship” as their reason for anti-social behavior according to the SimpleTexting survey.

So, as I continue my anti-social behavior, I am comforted to know I am not alone living here in Massachusetts with so many other Mass-holes also feeling more anti-social than the residents living in the rest of the country.

There are plenty of other fascinating data points in this survey.  You can check it out by clicking on this link to the SimpleTexting “How Anti-Social Are You” survey.