USGS uses machine learning to show large lithium potential in Arkansas

Serious question:

Given the mood alerting properties of lithium, are people living here chiller than would be expected (controlling for instance for poverty / SES) ?

Potentially. See "Lithium in drinking water linked with lower suicide rates" [1].

[1] https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/lithium-in-drinking-water-linked-...

I would assume any positive effects are balanced out by living in Arkansas.

People downvoted you to the point that your comment is grayed out and about to be hidden but there is hardly metric by which Arkansas is not in the bottom ten on a list of states.

Infant mortality rate? 3rd most deadly for babies.

Poverty rate? 7th poorest.

Homicide rate? 7th most dangerous.

Obesity rate? 3rd fattest.

Practically any map of any measurable statistic where states are colored red for "bad" and green for "good" Arkansas will be a deep, blood, red.

But it is rude to point that out.

Here's another list -

Highest poverty rate?

Lowest literacy rate?

Last in opportunity?

8th worst in public safety?

If you guessed California, you'd be right.

Sweeping generalities and handpicked metrics do not tell an entire story.

You are citing the US News "best states" ranking. In that ranking, California is ranked #37 overall and Arkansas is ranked #47 overall. Even your own hand picked data source supports the OP...