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The United States is widely recognized for its diversity along important social indicators like race, , , and religion. This overall perception of diversity, however, often reflects substantial regional variation. Indeed, clear regional differences in a variety of social, economic, and demographic factors are well-documented. There are blue states and red states, rich states and poor states, healthy states and less healthy states.

Even differences are regionally defined. Middle America residents tend to be more "friendly and conventional," people along the West Coast, among other regions, are more likely to be "relaxed and creative," and the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast tend to be populated by reserved, irritable, and uninhibited people (Rentfrow et al., 2013).

But are we also divided along lines of love and affection?

A recent study investigated whether specific geographic regions within the United States could be characterized by specific ways of approaching love and relationships in contrast to other regions (Chopik & Motyl, 2016). Are some regions populated by people with more secure and trusting orientations towards relationships than others? And are the people in some areas of the country, relative to others, more when it comes to love?

Studying data gathered from over 125,000 adults from across the country, researchers looked for differences in styles by state and region. Attachment is generally viewed along two dimensions: low to high anxiety (i.e., intense preoccupation with important others; of rejection; hypervigilance for signs of abandonment) and low to high avoidance (i.e., distrust of others, detached independence). Here's some of what they learned:

1. Most Anxious States

North Dakota, West Virginia, New York

(By region, the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast tended to be the most anxious.)

2. Least Anxious States

Mississippi, Alaska, Vermont

3. Highly Avoidant States

North Dakota, Nevada, Kentucky

4. Least Avoidant States

Wisconsin, Utah, Hawaii

Inter-state variability in attachment styles corresponded with a number of interesting societal patterns: For example, states high in avoidance tended to have fewer married households and more people living alone, and also less orientation towards volunteerism.

These findings correspond well with regional personality differences that suggest the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, which this study showed are high in attachment anxiety, are also relatively higher in .

So how do we explain these differences? The authors suggest a number of considerations. Certain ecological features (e. ., mountains) or weather patterns (e.g., extreme heat or cold) could attract and keep people with certain relational-relevant orientations (e.g., preferences for isolation; independence). Thus, through selective migration, certain regions might come to be over-represented by certain attachment styles. Additionally, people seem to gravitate toward living in areas with similar others, a well-established notion. Perhaps this idea extends to include attachment orientation.

Note, of course, that state-level trends do not reveal a specific person's attachment orientation: As the authors make clear, love can be found in North Dakota just as it can in Mississippi or Wisconsin.