Happiness, reference dependence, and motivated beliefs in US presidential elections
Balazs Barabas
As elections continue to polarise societies, understanding their psychological dimensions can help both parties and policymakers anticipate how political events impact public wellbeing. This column analyses data from the last four US presidential elections to study drivers of self-reported happiness. The authors find that happiness responds to changes in both the political status quo (the incumbent presidential party) and the expected electoral outcome. Their analysis confirms three premises:
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