Research: Conservatives Happier Than Liberals

Individuals with conservative ideologies are happier than liberal-leaners, and new research pinpoints the reason: Conservatives rationalize social and economic inequalities.

Regardless of marital status, income or church attendance, right-wing individuals reported greater life satisfaction and well-being than left-wingers, the new study found. Conservatives also scored highest on measures of rationalization, which gauge a person's tendency to justify, or explain away, inequalities.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[livegreen]

How could liberals possibly be happier than conservatives. Many conservatives live in a self-delusional state in which they are always correct and don't have the intelligence or inclination to even consider alternative viewpoints or contradictory evidence. The liberal mind is a little more reality-based.

[Fire]

Of course!!! Look at the results!!! You stupid chimps.

[UncleJimbo]

Ignorance is Bliss! My Mother always said that!

[michelv]

Pseudo-happiness can also come from a excessive certitude that everything you think and know is 100% right. Dumb people are often happier than those who get absorbed into thinking about the big questions of life. So should we all become dumb and happy? Yep, this is dumb "research."

[NoSillyName]

Not the Angry White Men faction of conservatives. They are pissed off and full of hate. That can't be happiness-making.

I was unfortunate to receive a forwarded email bearing their screed about immigrants, welfare recipients, liberals, all and that jazz. Actually was frightening.

Most conservatives are only happy because they have "their's" and don't give a shit about anybody who can't "pull themselves up by their bootstraps".

assholes.

[altohone]

How can anybody take this seriously?

What exactly is it about right-wingers that is "conservative"?


Doesn't anybody own a dictionary?

[swift goat pet for truth]

Am I my brother's keeper?

NAH.

[Weathermaker]

Conservative's mantra: "What, me worry?"

[shrugged]

The fallacy is forcing the study to only two dimensions. Depends upon how you define conservative and liberal. Let's instead study if people are happier believing that people can best decide for themselves and individual responsibility vs those that believe a centrally planned government should make all decisions for them (Republicans & Democrats).

[MajorKong]

He tries for the double-strawman ad hominem with a backflip dismount. And the crowd goes wild!

[HippieChick]

"He tries for the double-strawman ad hominem with a backflip dismount. And the crowd goes wild!"

Great response. Bravo!

[Ivar]

Not only how you define conservative and liberal, but happier than what? Is a little like asking a yes or no question: "Did you give back the money you stole from the church?'"

[weavermiami]

Yes, its true, conservatives have made me very unhappy.

[HippieChick]

"conservatives have made me very unhappy"

Me, too.

[JScott]

Jeez there is NO definitive answer just a few months back

there was the 'Liberals Are Happier Than Conservatives' posting on here.



Doesn't really matter at all but the last 8 years of GWB would dispute this current one.

[BlackJAC]

So we now have hard evidence that ignorance is bliss and gops can generate excuses for anything.

[Amidoinitrite]

God I lol'd.

It makes sense when you think about it. All the bull about religion-based laws, gay marriage (it deserves its own mention), everything precluding Afghanistan/Iraq....Rationalizing without solid reason. A flawed philosophy.

[tombollocks]

My liberal friends have always seemed happier than my ex-conservative friends, even though my liberal friends are more educated, have higher IQs, and tons of compassion for their fellow man, planet, and animals. My ex-conservative friends were mean, bitter, hateful, racist, wasteful, had low IQs, barely finished high school, and beat their kids-which is why I have nothing to do with them.

Tell me again who's happier? The poll is flawed.

[Photofarm]

You might want to quit using the stereotypes you are using, as they are mostly wrong.

[strifeknot]

He's so very spot-on.

[Eoin45]

They are very wrong? Not in my experience Photofarm. I know one thing, liberals are way more fun to be around.

[HeevenSteven]

Fat dumb and happy. Ignorance is bliss.

[eleutheros]

What did J.M. Mill say ? Not all Conservatives are dumb, it's just that most dumb people are Conservative ...

[HeevenSteven]

lol, Thanks for that; I have Mill in my to-read list. I'll have to move him up in the pile.