First, set down your coffee.
Conservatives are happier than liberals. So say a couple of studies Thomas Edsall cites this morning:
Two similarly titled papers with markedly disparate conclusions illustrate the range of disagreement on this subject. “Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Liberals?” by Jaime Napier of N.Y.U. in Abu Dhabi and John Jost of N.Y.U., and “Conservatives Are Happier Than Liberals, but Why?” by Barry R. Schlenker and John Chambers, both of the University of Florida, and Bonnie Le of the University of Rochester.
Using nationally representative samples from the United States and nine other countries, Napier and Jost note that they
consistently found conservatives (or right-wingers) are happier than liberals (or left-wingers). This ideological gap in happiness is not accounted for by demographic differences or by differences in cognitive style. We did find, however, that the rationalization of inequality — a core component of conservative ideology — helps to explain why conservatives are, on average, happier than liberals.
See no evil. Hear no evil. Don’t worry. Be happier.
Napier and Jost contend that their determinations are “consistent with system justification theory, which posits that viewing the status quo (with its attendant degree of inequality) as fair and legitimate serves a palliative function.”
Not to be outdone, Schlenker, Chambers and Le offer another perspective:
In contrast to Napier and Jost’s “view that conservatives are generally fearful, low in self-esteem, and rationalize away social inequality,” Schlenker, Chambers and Le argue:
Conservatives are more satisfied with their lives, in general and in specific domains (e.g., marriage, job, residence), report better mental health and fewer mental and emotional problems, and view social justice in ways that are consistent with binding moral foundations, such as by emphasizing personal agency and equity.
Clearly, these researchers have never viewed footage from the Jan. 6 insurrection, set foot in a honky-tonk, watched reality TV, or worked in an emergency room on a Friday night.
See, the problem with you liberals is you have a relativist moral code, as opposed to conservatives’ absolutist one, say Schlenker, Chambers and Le:
A relativist moral code more readily permits people to excuse or justify failures to do the ‘‘right’’ thing. When moral codes lack clarity and promote flexibility, people may come to feel a sense of normlessness — a lack of purpose in life — and alienation. Further, if people believe there are acceptable excuses and justifications for morally questionable acts, they are more likely to engage in those acts, which in turn can create problems and unhappiness.
Ahem, let me introduce you to the Republican caucus in the U.S. Congress and in the [your state’s name here] legislature.
There’s more, of course. The usual nod to conservatives’ heightened disgust response, etc., and to liberals’ tolerance for change and ambiguity.
Other researchers disagree with the first set. Edsall gives them space to rebut:
Emma Onraet, Alain Van Hiel and Kristof Dhont concluded in their paper “The Relationship Between Right-Wing Ideological Attitudes and Psychological Well-Being” that a comprehensive examination — a meta-analysis — of previous studies involving 97 samples with 69,221 participants shows “that right-wing attitudes are only weakly related to psychological well-being” and that “our results thus do not support previous theories that claim that right-wing attitudes yield substantial relationships with psychological well-being.”
Prejudice and intolerance can be found on both sides of the political divide, says Jarret Crawford, a professor of psychology at the College of New Jersey:
When it comes to denying political rights to specific groups, Crawford continued,
we see pretty consistently that conservatives and liberals are intolerant of their political opponents (e.g., a liberal will oppose a pro-life group on campus to the same degree a conservative will oppose a pro-choice group on campus).
But, Crawford stressed,
where we do see pretty consistent ideological differences is in abstract democratic principles (endorsing things like freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, voting rights, etc.). I think this is to say that there is a stronger anti-democratic impulse on the right than on the left, less of a commitment to democracy. And, of course, I think we’re seeing that play out in national and local politics right now.
The more either group is thwarted in its efforts to achieve its political goals, the more anguish people experience, says Michael Steger, a professor of psychology at Colorado State University.
Edsall provides this caveat:
First, be wary of the conclusion that conservatives are happier than liberals and that they find greater meaning in life.
In “Are Conservatives Really Happier Than Liberals?,” Tom Jacobs points out that
researchers report that conservatives are more likely to proclaim they are happy. But liberals are more likely to provide clues indicating they’re experiencing actual joy, including the words they choose to use, and the genuineness of their smiles.
Jacobs cites the work of Sean Wojcik, a senior data scientist at Axios, and Peter Ditto of the University of California, Irvine, who find in their paper “Conservative Self-Enhancement” that political conservatives have “a strengthened tendency to evaluate the self in an overly positive way.”
That is, conservatives rarely admit to themselves, to others, or to researchers that they’ve made mistakes or are as unhappy with their lives as closet-drinking, opioid addiction, and participation in cultish political violence suggests. See honky-tonk comment above.