Another U.S. Election Day is upon us, and for some, it will mean losses for their political party. Now, new research suggests that those losses has a great impact on our emotional well-being.
Obviously, Election Day is stressful for politicians, but it's also hard on voters, specifically those aligning with one specific political party. Although winning an election for your political party results in great happiness, losing results in great sadness.
Researchers from various U.S. universities recently discovered how losing an election for our political party affects us on a deeper level than winning an election.
Researchers studied data from online survey responses that compared the levels of happiness and sadness in voters identifying with a political party after the 2012 presidential election. That sadness lasted for over a week, although eventually, voters recovered. When compared to the level of happiness that winners felt, the sadness by losers was far greater.
This backs up something we've learned from previous research: losing results in a greater and longer emotional response than winning.
However, researchers didn't stop there. They compared the loss of political elections to data studying emotional responses to two specific national tragedies: the 2012 school shooting in Newton, CT, and the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Although both events were traumatic, election loss still garnered a greater emotional response, except in those somehow close to the events (for example, those with children and those living in Boston).
"Winning an election is fine, but losing one is extremely painful: losing an election dominates the pain caused by national tragedies, even among those who one might expect to be particularly affected by them," researchers write.
Yes, political losses affect us more emotionally than bombings and shootings.
"We find that partisan identity is even more central to the self than past research might have suggested," writes researchers. "In addition to affecting thinking preferences, and behavior, it also has sizable hedonic consequences, especially when people experience partisan losses."
Other research shows how deep political affiliations run, and one recent study even suggests that political beliefs divide the U.S. more than race. Our political beliefs shape who we are, affecting our identities and emotions.
Another study shows differences in emotional reactions along party lines to things such as negative and positive images. In that study, researchers suggest that the brains of liberals and conservatives work differently, resulting in not only a difference of opinions on key topics, but also emotional differences.
These studies are especially relevant today as Americans take to the polls. As having winners means that there are always losers, we can expect today to be a very sad day for some voters.
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