What, Me Worry?

A new study in the June issue of the journal Psychological Science reveals that conservatives are happier than liberals. I've read research to this effect before and it's never surprised me. I figure what puts the "conserve" in "conservative" is a desire to maintain the status quo. People who hold positions that are protective of the way are things tend to, well, like the way things are, and are hence happier living in that "way things are" world.

But this study contains an additional finding regarding why this happy-disparity may exist: "Conservatives also scored highest on measures of rationalization, which gauge a person's tendency to justify, or explain away, inequalities." This was measured by the extent to which respondents agreed with statements such as, "It is not really that big a problem if some people have more of a chance in life than others," and "This country would be better off if we worried less about how equal people are." From these responses the researchers extrapolate, "Our research suggests that inequality takes a greater psychological toll on liberals than on conservatives, apparently because liberals lack ideological rationalizations that would help them frame inequality in a positive (or at least neutral) light."

So there you have it. Proof conclusive that liberals are the cardigan-wearing emo kids of the ideological spectrum, and Bill O'Reilly actually does have an internal mechanism that allows him to shrug his shoulders at the fact that homelessness among veterans is surging... because at least they're not getting shot at?

Oh, and yes, Bill Clinton really does feel your pain.