A prominent location in Troy, New York has been named one of the happiest places of its kind in America. People who walk around this area are smiling constantly, according to data processed by artificial intelligence technology, and generally speaking, those who attend seem happy to be where they are.

To dip into the psychiatric field for a moment, if you've visited this spot before, how did it make you feel?

Zoey 103.9 logo
Get our free mobile app

Troy's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Named America's Second-Happiest College

An interesting study done by the folks at Resume.io was shared in a story by Digg.com a few weeks ago. The study used artificial intelligence facial-recognition technology to examine the happiness of students at every collegiate institution in the country.

This complex study was done through Instagram. A.I. technology began by tracking Instagram posts of selfies, that happened to be geotagged at different universities.

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

Using facial-recognition technology, the bot then assessed a score of 1 through 100 to every photo, with 100 being the maximum score given for the amount of happiness that a person was displaying. Every post that were tagged at a college was scored individually, and the total score for each school was added together.

That total number was divided by the amount of posts, an equation that generated a "percentage of happiness" for every student body at every college across America.

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

When all of the scores were added up, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy finished in second place. Artificial intelligence determined that RPI's student body had a 62.87% happiness quotient, based on pictures that students had posted to Instagram.

Only the student body at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth was happier as a collective unit, with a whopping 76.47% happiness quotient. No other New York schools, and few schools in the geographical Northeast, cracked the top twenty happiest in the country.

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

Does this list carry a ton of meaning with it? No. Are RPI students beaming with joy every hour of every day? Probably not, I would guess.

That said, it's a nod to the stellar student life experience that has been cultivated over the years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I just completed my first season as the broadcaster for RPI's men's and women's hockey teams, and I can tell you that, from my experience, the passion and love that alumni and students have for that institution is very noticeable, and very impressive.

Apparently, A.I. technology agrees, and it has given us statistics that show us a major reason why this is true.

Forbes: These 12 New York Colleges are Among the Country's Top 100

School is in-session in New York, and a recent report from Forbes has identified these Empire State universities as some of the best in the country.

Gallery Credit: Dan Bahl

These are the Ten Highest-Rated College Towns in New York

From the quality of living, to the nightlife, to the safety of their students, here are the college towns ranked the best, and worst, in the state of New York.

Gallery Credit: Dan Bahl