Study Suggests Happiest Married People Are Rich, Male, Opinionated

Your super liberal and staunchly conservative friends have at least one thing in common: they have better marriages, according to sociology professor Philip Cohen of the University of Maryland.

While the percentage of Americans who say they’re “very happy” in their marriages is down to 60 percent (from 68 percent in the ‘70s) according to the long-running General Social Survey, some odd, extreme trends appeared when Cohen dug into those numbers. Basically, men are happier than women in marriage, and those who attend religious services more than once a week are more likely to say they’re happy with their vows — as are people who describe themselves as “extremely liberal” or “extremely conservative.”

As Cohen notes, “It’s possible that the people with more extreme political views are more likely to have a spouse who agrees with them.” (Another theory: People with staunch beliefs and loud opinions might be a little … blind to nuance? Just a thought.)

One other factor: People who describe themselves as upper class have a 17-point gap in their favor regarding marriage bliss over those who are self-described lower class.  

Loud, rich men win again.

But hey: It’s bipartisan!