Is beer safer than water?

The most interesting articles that came to our attention this week

How to Understand the Well-Being Gap between Liberals and Conservatives. Musa al-Gharbi reviews the literature on the gaps in happiness, life satisfaction and mental illness between liberals and conservatives in the US and other countries. He concludes that the gaps are highly robust, and are partly accounted for by genetic factors that predispose people towards both political liberalism and poor psychological well-being.

Conspiracy mentality and political orientation across 26 countries. Roland Imhoff and colleagues examine the relationship between political views and belief in conspiracy theories across 26 countries. They find a curvilinear relationship with left/right views, whereby belief in conspiracy theories is greatest on the far left and the far right. Supporters of opposition parties are also more likely to believe in conspiracy theories.

Heat map showing the relationship between conspiracy mentality and political orientation.

Educational expansion reforms and intergenerational educational mobility in Norway. Adrian Rogne and Siri Frisl examine the impact of educational expansion on intergenerational mobility in Norway. They find little to none: individuals with less educated parents were no more likely to attain a higher education, relative to those with more educated parents, in areas where colleges were established or upgraded.