Last week, Gallup published its annual Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, leading The New York Times on a search to find the person who fit the exact demographic specifications. Enter Alvin Wong, who they quickly labeled the happiest man in America.
Only days later, he's gone viral.
The New York Times reports that Mr. Wong has become a bit of a sensation. He's "gone viral" in Thailand, according to family, with international publications itching for an interview.
The Times selected Mr. Wong after asking Gallup, which interviews thousands of Americans to create the index, what the demographic make-up of the happiest person in America might look like.
Their answer:
[H]e's a tall, Asian-American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year.
Here's an excerpt from a video interview with The Honolulu Star-Advertiser:
"My mom was always a believer in 'You don't do things just for money, you do things because you want to do them, you love to do them.' This is what's going to make you get up in the morning and want to do things -- and you're going to go to work happy."
He adds: "If you can't laugh at yourself, then life is going to be very hard on you."
Watch The Honolulu Star-Advertiser interview here: