Liberals Express Happiness More than Conservatives, New Study Finds
Previous studies have suggested that conservatives are happier than liberals, but there’s a new study in the journal Science out today that suggests not might conservatives not be happier than liberals, but that liberals express their happiness a lot more than conservatives do.
According to The New York Times, the methodology to determine this included (and yes, this is real) “the emotional content of more than 430 million words entered in the Congressional Record over 18 years.”
Apparently, more liberal politicians were more likely to talk positively. They also studied the “emotional tenor of language” liberals and conservatives used on Twitter and LinkedIn
Oh, and get this:
The study also examined publicly available photographs of 533 members of Congress, finding that conservative politicians were less likely than liberals to display smiles involving facial muscles around the eyes, a measure that previous research has found to be associated with genuine emotion.
So in other words, if you’re happy and you know it and your face will surely show it you’re a liberal.
And in case you’re wondering how some politicians reacted to the study, the AP is on it:
For a laughing Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., this rings true: “A lot of what seems to fuel Republican energy is anger-based. They’re angry about Iran. They’re angry about Obama. … And you hear that on the floor constantly.”
That’s not the feeling at the office of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., where a sign above the congressman’s door reads “Fighting for Freedom and Having Fun.” His spokesman Ken Grubbs said, “A day at the office here… is never without lots of laughs.”
[image via screengrab]
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