SALISBURY is the UK's happiest city, according to a recent study.

Scientists working for Anchor Cheddar claim to have found the formula for "true richness", and Salisbury comes out on top.

The firm interviewed 2,000 people about their attitudes towards life and contentment, plus details about their job, income, family status and hometown.

It claims to have mapped the results on a "richness scale of happiness and fulfilment", and found that money has little to do with happiness.

Those working in fishing and forestry were found to lead richer lives than those in business and financial operations and people earning less than £35,000 a year actually outstripped high earners of up to £200,000 in terms of richness and fulfilment.

The study found:

People who can enjoy the imperfections in life are the richest
Those who completely embrace that their family is lovingly dysfunctional lead a richer life
People who cherish mistakes are richer than meticulous planners
Those who avoid confrontation have richer lives
Those who believe that success is in the journey rather than the result have richer lives
When it comes to money, either embrace it and make it the foundation for your happiness, or acknowledge that you won’t find happiness in it. Anything in between is detrimental to your emotional richness
Richer individuals value memories over possessions

Salisbury won the crown, with Winchester in second place.

The formula has revealed the UK’s top ten richest towns and cities:

1. Salisbury

2. Winchester

3. Sunderland

4. Derby

5. Swansea

6. Preston

7. Cardiff

8. St Albans

9. Dundee

10. Gloucester

Psychologist, broadcaster and author Dr David Lewis, who calculated the formula, said: “Our research has revealed some fascinating insights into how rich people view their lives to be.

"We used quadratic mathematical modelling to find the ‘formula for true richness’, or in other words, what combination of attitudes towards life is found in the happiest people.

"During the interviews, 59 per cent of people said the best things in life are free, citing their families and happy memories as their most treasured possessions.”