If you are unhappy with your job it can really make your life miserable. Some of you have written about jobs which cause you stress, anxiety, and contribute to your depression. In the worst case scenario it may mean choosing between your job and your mental health. Some of our members are in this situation and it is not an easy decision to make especially in this economy. With all the reports of unhappiness on the job, I began to wonder if there are certain occupations which actually make people feel happy. In this post we are going to take a look at the latest research on job related happiness. Who are these happy people and what do they do for a living? We are also going to examine the least and most stressful types of jobs as well as the best careers for introverts. Get ready for some surprising discoveries about which jobs are considered the happiest in America.

The Least Stressful Occupations

Everyone experiences some stress on the job. But excessive stress can lead to burn-out, missed days, and can be the deal breaker to look for a new job. For some people, a highly stressful job can cause anxiety and symptoms of depression. Stress can be highly subjective. But there are certain occupations where employees report less stress. In 2009 CareerCast provided a list of some of the least stressful jobs in America.

These low-key jobs included:

• Actuary

• Dietician

• Computer Systems Analyst

• Statistician

• Mathematician

• Historian

• Software Engineer

If you are wondering what jobs reportedly cause the most stress, I wrote an article listing the top ten most stressful jobs in America for our Anxiety site. The list will probably not surprise you too much. Some of these highly stressful occupations include: Firefighter, corporate executive, taxi driver, surgeon, and police officer.

The Happiest Jobs in America

The most recent report on job related happiness comes from CareerBliss, a career website. They conducted a fairly extensive survey of 200,000 employee reviews from 70.000 jobs across the country to collect data on happiness in the workplace. According to their survey, money was not the greatest predictor of job satisfaction. Elements such as how much control the employee felt they had over day to day tasks and the quality of their relationships between bosses, co-workers, and customers correlated highly with job happiness.

Here are the top five fields where employees report the most job satisfaction and happiness according to their survey.

1. The Biotech Industry: Biotechnology combines biology and technology to create products useful to society such as new medications to treat disease or better tasting and nutritious foods. The jobs within this growing field of work range from scientists to technical writers.

2. Customer Service: Key traits for customer service representatives are patience and a wish to help others. Some of the highest paid customer service professionals work for the Postal Service, making an average of $29.19 per hour. (Source: snagajob)