IF YOU'RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT - - -

HAPPINESS - 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.