July 9, 2012

Why are conservatives so much happier than liberals?

Studies show that they are (or at least think they are or say they are). But why? My first guess, without reading on in the article is that they mind their own business. They think taking care of their own work and family is enough, and liberals feel they must worry about how everyone else is doing.

According to the column, by Arthur C. Brooks, the president of the American Enterprise Institute:
Many conservatives favor an explanation focusing on lifestyle differences, such as marriage and faith. They note that most conservatives are married; most liberals are not....
The story on religion is much the same. According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, conservatives who practice a faith outnumber religious liberals in America nearly four to one....

An explanation for the happiness gap more congenial to liberals is that conservatives are simply inattentive to the misery of others. If they recognized the injustice in the world, they wouldn’t be so cheerful....

People at the extremes are happier than political moderates. Correcting for income, education, age, race, family situation and religion, the happiest Americans are those who say they are either “extremely conservative” (48 percent very happy) or “extremely liberal” (35 percent). Everyone else is less happy, with the nadir at dead-center “moderate” (26 percent).

What explains this odd pattern? One possibility is that extremists have the whole world figured out, and sorted into good guys and bad guys. They have the security of knowing what’s wrong, and whom to fight. They are the happy warriors.

424 comments:

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Meade said...

There. 402. I hope you're all happy.

chickelit said...

I'll bet that seeing Allie wearing pyramid-shaped bra cups would make Andy R smile.

dbp said...

"Meade said...
There. 402. I hope you're all happy."

Yes, but as a conservative, white, married man with children, I could hardly help but be happy.

And since we are already safely over 400, this post is immune from the charge of padding the numbers.

Anonymous said...

Chickie, why Andy is gay, he would probably rather see Palladian wear them. Or that broccoli Scott guy.

Bob Ellison said...

406!

Bob Ellison said...

407!

I got a million of 'em!

leslyn said...

The World Happiness Report

It turns out that the top'ranked happy countries in the world are socialist! (I wouldn't call them socialist, but some do. You know who you are.)

Bob Ellison said...

Nonsense, leslyn. Soacialism has never been tried and doesn't exist.

Brian Brown said...

Andy R. said...


Could you explain what you meant by this? Why should we read the Constitution? What was unclear or inaccurate about that passage?


There was no filibuster.

There was no filibuster.

Screeching about a mythical filibuster when a treaty requires 67 votes to pass, makes you an idiot.

That's what.

leslyn said...

Happiness is a baked potato.

There's more than one way to solve the existential question.

chickelit said...

Soacialism has never been tried and doesn't exist.

Socialism only differs by a jot and tittle from the Socalism favored by Jerry Brown.

chickelit said...

And there's beaucoup jot and tittle in LA.

chickelit said...

AllieOop said...
Chickie, why Andy is gay, he would probably rather see Palladian wear them.

I figgered you'd cringe at the thought.

dbp said...

Those of us disinclined to like socialism are also skeptical of anything produced by the UN.

For those who are inclined to socialism, why not form a commune? It is reletively easy compared with getting 300 million citizens to go along with your schemes.

leslyn said...

Besides eating baked potatoes or living in a Scandinavian country, there is another way of making most people on this blog very happy--say something, anything, they can disagree with.

I'm happy to have provided you with another existential solution.

Now if you'd stop arguing about filibusters (did you even realize that you were filibustering?), that would make ME very happy.

4-3-2-1...Jay?

Paul said...

Hmmm...

Let's see...

Envy or gratitude.

Which one makes you happier.

I dunno. That's a tough one.

leslyn said...

Kristen Wiig credits boyfriend Fabrizio Moretti for current happiness.

The photo of Ms Wiig at this link will make some of you very happy.

chickelit said...

There's more than one way to fill a bustier.

One side isn't interested in obvious methodology.

dbp said...

leslyn, you would gain credibility if you included Andy R. in that complaint about the endless fillibuster comments.

leslyn said...

Raw chocolate, raw food and happiness.

I knew chocolate would come into this somewhere.

leslyn said...

chickelit said... There's more than one way to fill a bustier. One side isn't interested in obvious methodology.

Doesn't mater what that side is or isn't interested in. Just stuff the damn thing down in there. Or you'll have a very lopsided buster.

leslyn said...

dbp,

What makes you think I'm interested in credibility? Didn't I just make you happy?

Besides, I find Jay more annoying.

So sue me.

And there you go, folks--the last existential answer to your secret of happiness.

Bob Ellison said...

423!

Synova said...

I just realized this is performance art.

423 posts off-topic about filibusters.

Man, I'm slow.

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