[Living part-time in Brooklyn, New York and part-time in Northampton, a college town in western Massachusetts, I am unsurprised by the findings that the northeastern states are among the most neurotic, as well as among the most open, “openness” reflected by “curiosity, intellect, and creativity at the individual level.”]
From “The Geography of Personality”:
Neuroticism is characterized by ‘anxiety, stress, impulsivity, and emotional instability and is related to antisocial behavior, poor coping, and poor health.’ Unsurprisingly, the study found that highly neurotic states had lower rates of exercise, higher rates of disease, and a shorter life expectancy. In these states, people are less likely to join clubs and spend time with friends. The geographic clustering of neuroticism is strong: it’s prevalent in the Northeast and much of Appalachia, and, for some reason, in the states of the lower Mississippi Valley. The West is decidedly less neurotic than the East, you may be unsurprised to hear.
(More @ The Map Scroll, including maps charting the geographical variations of “the big five” personality traits: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness.)
Related: A Theory of the Emergence, Persistence, and Expression of Geographic Variation in Psychological Characteristics
The 'Not-So-Rough' Guide 
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