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Kids with conservative parents are happier (thespectator.com)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Obvious question is why?

I explained why but let's not take my word for it. Let's look at the research.

https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2022/08/27/why_are_conservatives_happier_than_liberals_849615.html#!

To paraphrase, conservatives are less concerned with equality of outcomes and more with equality of opportunity. While American liberals are depressed by inequalities in society, conservatives are okay with them provided that everyone has roughly the same opportunities to succeed. The latter is a more rosy and empowering view than the deterministic former.

They found that conservatives "expressed greater personal agency, more positive outlook, more transcendent moral beliefs, and a generalized belief in fairness" compared to liberals.

Conservatives are more satisfied with their lives, in general... report better mental health and fewer mental and emotional problems (all after controlling for age, sex, income, and education), and view social justice in ways that are consistent with binding moral foundations, such as by emphasizing personal agency and equity.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

let's not take my word for it

This is my default position. I will never take anyone's word if I can understand something myself.

Yeah, I found the research that tried to tease out the causes. I think this paper was the best one I read. Section 6.6. Evaluative connotations was probably the best out of the paper:

According to philosophers of science, meaning is never found directly in the data; meaning is provided by interpreting the data from specific theoretical perspectives. Different perspectives can imply different evaluative connotations.

So the bits you quoted from realclearscience.com, from another perspective, could support the idea that conservatives are delusional in their belief that everyone has roughly the same opportunities to succeed. Perceived social mobility has declined after all, so, the idea that their happiness derives from the view that inequality doesn't matter would then be false, i.e., delusional.

I'm not trying to make that argument, mind you. I'm just saying these studies that say conservatives are happier still seem suspect to me fundamentally even though I must admit their conclusions. I don't think they're wrong, per se...just...not objective? universal? right? idk.