Now, look at this chart from the 2010 General Social Survey:
What strikes me is that the percentage of extremely liberals
that are very happy is approximately the same as the percentage of extremely
conservatives that are extremely happy. Furthermore, the extremes in ideology
are not happier than those who are liberal or conservative. This chart is from
Jay Livingston’s blog about Brooks’ op-ed here.
So what’s the point? I agree with Steve Greene, who argues
that happiness is associated with whether one thinks that life is fair or not.
However, it seems to me that if people who share your ideology are in control of government,
you’re more likely to be happy or very happy. Thus, since President Obama’s
election and the Democrats’ success in passing the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act, things didn’t look so rosy for conservatives, especially
those who are extremely conservative. What do you think?
You might also want to check out a wonderful article by Marie Burns here.
You might also want to check out a wonderful article by Marie Burns here.