Conservatives vs Liberals: Who is Happier?

Our political views can create a lot of division between those who support conservative and liberal views. Not surprisingly, we would like to confirm that our point of view is superior by stating that conservative or liberals are happier. Now we just need to know what science has to say about this. 

Quick Overview of “Who is Happier” Studies 

If you support conservative political views, you may be happy to learn that according to Pew Research Center you are on average happier than your liberal compatriots. 

If you support liberal political views, you may be happy to learn that the above statement might not necessarily constitute a hard science, as there is still a lot of room to debate whether or not your political opponents are actually happier than you are. 

Why Conservatives Are Happier

It is said that predominantly conservative countries are better than their liberal counterpart in things like having:

  • More stable marriages
  • Less divorced or never married parents  
  • Overall more family stability

All these factors are VERY important when it comes to raising happy families and being happy overall, as human connections play a major role on our overall sense of well-being. This is even more true so as one of the most important bonds is with our families.  

Moreover, Pew Research Center reports that conservatives are overall happier than liberal: 

ConservativesLiberals
Very happy37%25%
Happy51%52%
Not Happy9%20%

The Pew Research Center further accounted for the effect of age, gender, marital status, education level, income, life priorities, health, church attendance, and other variables.

The above statement is true for conservative Americans, Canadians, and Europeans, all of whom report feeling happier than their liberal compatriots.

Why Liberals Are Happier

However, the validity of the above study is confronted by new research done by Science whereas authors suggest that conservatives have a tendency to “self-enhance” their responses in an unrealistic light. Indeed, the “conservatives are happier” study was done using a phone questionnaire and not in a laboratory setting using, for example, fMRI, saliva test, random time happiness testing, or any other popular way to measure happiness. 

As such, we have to trust what people are saying is true, and when it comes to conservatives they tend to put an extra positive spin on their lives. In other words, they report being happier than they really are.

So Who is Happier: Conservatives or Liberals?

Unfortunately, it may still be premature to say whether conservatives are happier than liberals or the other way around. Indeed, while original findings suggest that conservatives are happier than liberals, there are many variables like self-enhancement, which we need to account for before we can give a final answer with certainty. “Self-enhancement” may be one of such variables. Perhaps there are others. 

Further research is needed to determine whether conservatives are indeed happier than liberals (or another way around!), especially by doing one or more tests that measure how people feel rather than what they say—attention to aspiring students!

Source:

Pew Research Center states that conservatives are happier than liberals: https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2010/10/Republicans-Happiness.pdf

Science says that conservatives tend to self-enhance their responses: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1260817

Picture of Roman Russo: Author of Optimal Happiness

Roman Russo: Author of Optimal Happiness

Roman Russo wasn't always happy and struggled with his own negative emotions, anxieties, and depression, until one day he pledged to resolve this part of life, whatever it took. The journey took 6 years, but it was worth it. Today, Roman considers himself to be one of the happiest people alive, part of the 1% of the happiest elite, and he now teaches others a working and universal happiness formula to reach a similar goal. He offers his best advice on Optimal Happiness social media, newsletter, blog, and books, and teaches a complete and unconditional happiness formula in his online courses.

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“The problem is that of optimization,” states Roman Russo, author of Optimal Happiness: The Fastest & Surest Way To Reach Your Happiest Potential. There is plenty of advice on how to be happier or less sad, but no one is speaking about how to become the happiest we can be. And this is the difference that makes all the difference. By not looking at our maximum potential for happiness, we fall short of achieving it. After all, we all have hundreds of ideas on how to be happier or less sad, but most people still feel like they are not living their best lives. As such, Optimal Happiness explores the question of how to be the happiest we can be, regardless of who we are, where we are from, and what our life circumstances are. It proposes a complete and unconditional formula for happiness and explains how you too can become happy today and forever, inviting you to join the 1% happiness elite and become one of the happiest people alive.

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