Back in the mid 80's, I read a small item in the newspaper which stated that, in testing of college students, it was determined that depressed people had a more realistic view of the world and their place in it than the average person. At that time, however, they had not determined if the people depressed because because they had a more realistic view of the world, or if they had a more realistic view of the world because they were depressed.

Having remembered this, I would venture to say that conservatives are probably happier that liberals because they are self-deluded by those thick rose-colored glasses they wear. They see themselves as smarter, better-looking and more world-wise than they truly are. To them, they are successful because of their hard work (hit a triple ratrher than born on third base) and others are not because they are simply lazy.

Liberals, on the other hand, have a more realistic view of reality. They see that with one bad break, an accident, a lost job, a long hospital stay, they could be broke, homeless or both. They also realize that often it is better to be lucky than good. They also tend much more towards depression than the conservatives,