Conservatives vs. Liberals (what makes each tick)

Happiness:

Parents are  happier than non-parents, yet when researchers ask parents what  they enjoy, looking after their kids is very, very far down the  list--well after eating, shopping, exercising, cooking, praying, and  even watching TV. Brooks argues that the paradox of parents being  happier yet not enjoying the primary task of being a parent (that is  looking after one's children) can be explained by noting that while  irritating in the short-term, children can bring meaning to life in the  long-term. Another factor is that happy people are more likely to have  children (note the issue of causation versus correlation).

Conservatives  are happier than liberals.  Self-described conservatives have been found to classify themselves as  "very happy" nearly twice as often as those who call themselves  "liberal" or "very liberal". This is not a new trend and has been true  for at least the past 35 years. Interestingly this is not because of  income differences between the groups (which have been isolated in the  study), instead Brooks believes it is because: a) Conservatives are  twice as likely to be married; b) Twice as likely to attend church; and  c) More likely to have children. Brooks believes that, putting merits  aside, the conservative viewpoint is more conducive to happiness than a  liberal viewpoint. "Conservatives tend to believe that if you work hard  and play by the rules, you can succeed. this makes them more optimistic  than liberal, more likely to feel in control of their lives and  therefore happier. American liberals, at their most pessimistic, stress  the injustice of the economic system, the crushing impersonal forces  that keep the little guy down."

Extremists (liberal or  conservative) are happier than moderates.  In short, those with extreme political viewpoints are more likely to be  happy, and Brooks believes this is because "they are certain that they  are right." (Of course this is measuring personal happiness, no one  would argue that being around extremists--particularly those with a  different viewpoint--brings much happiness.)

Conservative tend to  be more optimistic about the future and less likely to see themselves,  or others, as victims. Liberals are more likely to see themselves and  others as victims of circumstance and oppression, and doubt whether  individuals can climb without governmental help. Consider a bit of  evidence.

• You  can read these entire articles here  and here.

This New York Times article explains in simple terms why conservatives are happier than liberals.  Conservatives are much more likely than liberals to be religious, be married and have families - all of which unequivocally lead to overall happiness.

• In 2004, 44 percent of respondents who said they were “conservative” or “very conservative” said they were “very happy,” versus just 25 percent of people who called themselves “liberal” or “very liberal.” (Note that this comparison uses unweighted data — when the data are weighted, the gap is 46 percent to 28 percent.)
• Adults on the political right are only half as likely as those on the left to say, “At times, I think I am no good at all.” They are also less likely to say they are dissatisfied with themselves, that they are inclined to feel like a failure, or to be pessimistic about their futures.
• It doesn’t matter who holds political power. The happiness gap between conservatives and liberals has persisted for at least 30 years.

 
Charity

It is well established that conservatives give more to charity than liberals. Despite the popular culture paradigm that liberals are kindhearted and conservatives mean spirited the fact is that it is the opposite. This explains why Sarah Palin and her family gave considerably more to charity (10 times as much) than Joe Biden despite earning considerably less. More interesting is this:

• Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household ($1,600 per year vs. $1,227).
• Conservatives also donate more time and give more blood.
• Residents of the states that voted for John Kerry in 2004 gave smaller percentages of their incomes to charity than did residents of states that voted for George Bush.
• Bush carried 24 of the 25 states where charitable giving was above average.
• In the 10 reddest states, in which Bush got more than 60 percent majorities, the average percentage of personal income donated to charity was 3.5. Residents of the bluest states, which gave Bush less than 40 percent, donated just 1.9 percent.

You can read more about this fact here and here.