A Pew Research Center study finds conservatives are markedly happier with their lots in life than liberals.  Yes, wealthier people and married people are more content than those scraping by in solitude, but even adjusted for income and marital status,  right wingers like Sean Hannity are generally more pleased with themselves than sourpuss liberals like Ralph Nader- (Dennis Kucinich being the exception on account of being married to a hot redhead).  The difference is significant. 45% of republicans report being very happy as compared with 30% of democrats and 29 percent of independents.

The question of why this is true makes for a more interesting discussion. One interpretation suggests that conservatives are simply more comfortable with the income disparity and other inequalities in the world. They see life as a meritocracy that is ruthless yet fair in distributing the goodies of the earth to those who work hardest to gather them.  As for liberals? The researchers say:

"Our research suggests that inequality takes a greater psychological toll on liberals than on conservatives," the researchers write in the June issue of the journal Psychological Science, "apparently because liberals lack ideological rationalizations that would help them frame inequality in a positive (or at least neutral) light."

Discuss.