To add insult to injury, Glasgow, Scotland, a city with a far worse reputation, was more than half way up the place list of 273, at 111, The Scotsman reported.

Dimitris Ballas of the University of Sheffield, one of the scientists involved in the effort, conceded that the rankings may be imprecise. The study was part of a larger attempt to find out what makes for happiness.

"Happiness is particularly difficult for a scientist to measure," he said. "There's a lot of lively debate on what is the most appropriate measure."

Powys, the least densely populated county in Wales, ranked at the top of the list, possibly because air pollution and noise were among the factors considered. Edinburgh was once nicknamed "Auld Reekie" for its odor of coal smoke.

Andrew Burns, a member of The Local council and labor leader, said that he moved to Edinburgh 15 years ago and has always found it "lively and vibrant." In a 2006 poll, Edinburgh was found to have the happiest residents of any urban area, ranking after rural Northumberland and the Isle of Man and the London suburb of St. Albans.