In Other Words, The Weaker Among Us

[Rightguide]

People with anxious tendencies are more likely to support left-wing economic policy​

by Eric W. Dolan
January 6, 2026
in Anxiety, Political Psychology

https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_750,h_375/https://www.psypost.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/anxious-worried-woman-750x375.jpg



New research provides insight into the psychological underpinnings of political ideology. The findings suggest that individuals who are prone to anxiety are more likely to support left-wing economic policies, particularly when they feel socially excluded. This tendency appears to stem from a deep-seated human need for community support during times of vulnerability. The study was published in the British Journal of Political Science.

“There’s a very entrenched idea in my subfield (political psychology) that anxiety makes people more conservative/right-wing. The idea is that conservative ideas are more comforting than liberal ideas because they provide simple, neat answers to questions about life and society,” said study author Adam R. Panish, a PhD candidate at Stony Brook University.

“But around 2010, political psychologists started publishing modern high quality data that showed the opposite — anxious people were scoring much higher on measures of left-wing attitudes, particularly economic attitudes. So I wanted to try to understand why we were seeing results that are the opposite of what longstanding theories would predict. At the same time, people on social media started talking about the rise of anxiety and depression among young liberals in 2022. So it seemed like a good time to take a closer look.”

The researchers proposed the “social support hypothesis.” This framework looks at political preferences through the lens of evolutionary psychology. For early humans, survival depended entirely on the support of the group. In a foraging environment, injury or illness could be fatal without the care and resource sharing of others. Consequently, the human mind likely evolved to perceive social exclusion as a severe threat to survival.

Modern individuals might interpret state-provided economic support as a contemporary equivalent of tribal care. If this is true, people who are sensitive to threats—specifically those with high anxiety—should gravitate toward policies that ensure material security when they feel their social safety net is lacking.

To test this hypothesis, the researchers utilized data from four large-scale, representative surveys. These included the American National Election Studies, the Cooperative Election Study, and The American Panel Survey from the United States, as well as the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences from the Netherlands. The combined dataset included responses from nearly 18,000 participants.

Much more here: https://www.psypost.org/people-with...-likely-to-support-left-wing-economic-policy/

We've known this all along

 

[DeluxAuto]

People with anxious tendencies are more likely to support left-wing economic policy​

by Eric W. Dolan
January 6, 2026
in Anxiety, Political Psychology

https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_750,h_375/https://www.psypost.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/anxious-worried-woman-750x375.jpg



New research provides insight into the psychological underpinnings of political ideology. The findings suggest that individuals who are prone to anxiety are more likely to support left-wing economic policies, particularly when they feel socially excluded. This tendency appears to stem from a deep-seated human need for community support during times of vulnerability. The study was published in the British Journal of Political Science.

“There’s a very entrenched idea in my subfield (political psychology) that anxiety makes people more conservative/right-wing. The idea is that conservative ideas are more comforting than liberal ideas because they provide simple, neat answers to questions about life and society,” said study author Adam R. Panish, a PhD candidate at Stony Brook University.

“But around 2010, political psychologists started publishing modern high quality data that showed the opposite — anxious people were scoring much higher on measures of left-wing attitudes, particularly economic attitudes. So I wanted to try to understand why we were seeing results that are the opposite of what longstanding theories would predict. At the same time, people on social media started talking about the rise of anxiety and depression among young liberals in 2022. So it seemed like a good time to take a closer look.”

The researchers proposed the “social support hypothesis.” This framework looks at political preferences through the lens of evolutionary psychology. For early humans, survival depended entirely on the support of the group. In a foraging environment, injury or illness could be fatal without the care and resource sharing of others. Consequently, the human mind likely evolved to perceive social exclusion as a severe threat to survival.

Modern individuals might interpret state-provided economic support as a contemporary equivalent of tribal care. If this is true, people who are sensitive to threats—specifically those with high anxiety—should gravitate toward policies that ensure material security when they feel their social safety net is lacking.

To test this hypothesis, the researchers utilized data from four large-scale, representative surveys. These included the American National Election Studies, the Cooperative Election Study, and The American Panel Survey from the United States, as well as the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences from the Netherlands. The combined dataset included responses from nearly 18,000 participants.

Much more here: https://www.psypost.org/people-with...-likely-to-support-left-wing-economic-policy/

We've known this all along

You make thousands of threads solely based on your own anxiousness and cowardice.

Sit the fuck down, pansy.

 

[ll74]

Lol

Man child who needs to tell people how manly he is needs to tell others about how his position is better than yours.

 

[eric_erosfan]

Intelligent people care more than dumb people.

 

[HisArpy]

All of the data seems to point to the Left being mentally unstable. I have a theory as to why, but it's not generally well accepted by either side of the issue. Mostly because, I believe, both sides have the same addiction problem.

 

[Wilson23]

SO WHAT?

As a political statement (and the book ["Arrival and Departure" by Arthur Koestler] is not much more), this is insufficient. Of course it is true in many cases, and it may be true in all cases, that revolutionary activity is the result of personal maladjustment. Those who struggle against society are, on the whole, those who have reason to dislike it, and normal healthy people are no more attracted by violence and illegality than they are by war. The young Nazi in Arrival and Departure makes the penetrating remark that one can see what is wrong with the left-wing movement by the ugliness of its women. But after all, this does not invalidate the Socialist case. Actions have results, irrespective of their motives. Marx's ultimate motives may well have been envy and spite, but this does not prove that his conclusions were false. In making the hero of Arrival and Departure take his final decision from a mere instinct not to shirk action and danger, Koestler is making him suffer a sudden loss of intelligence. With such a history as he has behind him, he would be able to see that certain things have to be done, whether our reasons for doing them are ‘good’ or ‘bad’. History has to move in a certain direction, even if it has to be pushed that way by neurotics. In Arrival and Departure Peter's idols are overthrown one after the other. The Russian Revolution has degenerated, Britain, symbolized by the aged consul with gouty fingers, is no better, the international class-conscious proletariat is a myth. But the conclusion (since, after all, Koestler and his hero ‘support’ the war) ought to be that getting rid of Hitler is still a worth-while objective, a necessary bit of scavenging in which motives are almost irrelevant.

-- George Orwell, 1944

 

[DeluxAuto]

All of the data seems to point to the Left being mentally unstable. I have a theory as to why, but it's not generally well accepted by either side of the issue. Mostly because, I believe, both sides have the same addiction problem.

People on the left are more honest with themselves and others and will talk about things instead of bottling them up and shooting up children and alleged illegals.

 

[Hel_Books]

All of the data seems to point to the Left being mentally unstable. I have a theory as to why, but it's not generally well accepted

Yes, I would have assumed it wouldn't be "well accepted"!

 

[Wilson23]

All of the data seems to point to the Left being mentally unstable. I have a theory as to why, but it's not generally well accepted by either side of the issue. Mostly because, I believe, both sides have the same addiction problem.

See post #6.

 

[DeluxAuto]

Yes, I would have assumed it wouldn't be "well accepted"!

Most religious Americans are MAGAts.
All religious people are fucking nuts.

Do teh mathz.

 

[Hel_Books]

Lol

Man child who needs to tell people how manly he is needs to tell others about how his position is better than yours.

Does he have "tiger blood" like Charlie Sheen?

 

[stxjimmy]

All of the data seems to point to the Left being mentally unstable. I have a theory as to why, but it's not generally well accepted by either side of the issue. Mostly because, I believe, both sides have the same addiction problem.

Or
only the mentally unstable would argue that the left are the more mentally unstable without a scintilla of evidence offered.

 

[Rightguide]

People with anxious tendencies are more likely to support left-wing economic policy​

by Eric W. Dolan
January 6, 2026
in Anxiety, Political Psychology

https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_750,h_375/https://www.psypost.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/anxious-worried-woman-750x375.jpg



New research provides insight into the psychological underpinnings of political ideology. The findings suggest that individuals who are prone to anxiety are more likely to support left-wing economic policies, particularly when they feel socially excluded. This tendency appears to stem from a deep-seated human need for community support during times of vulnerability. The study was published in the British Journal of Political Science.

“There’s a very entrenched idea in my subfield (political psychology) that anxiety makes people more conservative/right-wing. The idea is that conservative ideas are more comforting than liberal ideas because they provide simple, neat answers to questions about life and society,” said study author Adam R. Panish, a PhD candidate at Stony Brook University.

“But around 2010, political psychologists started publishing modern high quality data that showed the opposite — anxious people were scoring much higher on measures of left-wing attitudes, particularly economic attitudes. So I wanted to try to understand why we were seeing results that are the opposite of what longstanding theories would predict. At the same time, people on social media started talking about the rise of anxiety and depression among young liberals in 2022. So it seemed like a good time to take a closer look.”

The researchers proposed the “social support hypothesis.” This framework looks at political preferences through the lens of evolutionary psychology. For early humans, survival depended entirely on the support of the group. In a foraging environment, injury or illness could be fatal without the care and resource sharing of others. Consequently, the human mind likely evolved to perceive social exclusion as a severe threat to survival.

Modern individuals might interpret state-provided economic support as a contemporary equivalent of tribal care. If this is true, people who are sensitive to threats—specifically those with high anxiety—should gravitate toward policies that ensure material security when they feel their social safety net is lacking.

To test this hypothesis, the researchers utilized data from four large-scale, representative surveys. These included the American National Election Studies, the Cooperative Election Study, and The American Panel Survey from the United States, as well as the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences from the Netherlands. The combined dataset included responses from nearly 18,000 participants.

Much more here: https://www.psypost.org/people-with...-likely-to-support-left-wing-economic-policy/

We've known this all along

Yes, Draggonstone is one of those so affected.

 

[Wilson23]

We've known this all along

That people with "anxious tendencies" are concerned with social safety nets? Yeah, we've known that all along.

 

[Rightguide]

That people with "anxious tendencies" are concerned with social safety nets? Yeah, we've known that all along.

Weak sisters, like yourself.

 

[Wilson23]

Weak sisters, like yourself.

Naturally such want the opposite of social Darwinism. That does NOT make them WRONG. See post #6.

 

[Rightguide]

Naturally such want the opposite of social Darwinism. That does NOT make them WRONG. See post #6.

Yep, risk-averse morally weak busybodies now elevate superstition and procedural “safety” over liberty itself, happily trading the freedom of a confident majority for the comfort of a nervous few who mistake control for virtue.

 

[Wilson23]

Yep, risk-averse morally weak busybodies now elevate superstition and procedural “safety” over liberty itself, happily trading the freedom of a confident majority for the comfort of a nervous few who mistake control for virtue.

What they do is look at democracies that take a leftier approach to things in general and observe that things in general go a lot better there than they go here. There is nothing unreasonable about that, and nothing weak or neurotic, either.

 

[Rotadom]

People with anxious tendencies are more likely to support left-wing economic policy​

by Eric W. Dolan
January 6, 2026
in Anxiety, Political Psychology

https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_750,h_375/https://www.psypost.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/anxious-worried-woman-750x375.jpg



New research provides insight into the psychological underpinnings of political ideology. The findings suggest that individuals who are prone to anxiety are more likely to support left-wing economic policies, particularly when they feel socially excluded. This tendency appears to stem from a deep-seated human need for community support during times of vulnerability. The study was published in the British Journal of Political Science.

“There’s a very entrenched idea in my subfield (political psychology) that anxiety makes people more conservative/right-wing. The idea is that conservative ideas are more comforting than liberal ideas because they provide simple, neat answers to questions about life and society,” said study author Adam R. Panish, a PhD candidate at Stony Brook University.

“But around 2010, political psychologists started publishing modern high quality data that showed the opposite — anxious people were scoring much higher on measures of left-wing attitudes, particularly economic attitudes. So I wanted to try to understand why we were seeing results that are the opposite of what longstanding theories would predict. At the same time, people on social media started talking about the rise of anxiety and depression among young liberals in 2022. So it seemed like a good time to take a closer look.”

The researchers proposed the “social support hypothesis.” This framework looks at political preferences through the lens of evolutionary psychology. For early humans, survival depended entirely on the support of the group. In a foraging environment, injury or illness could be fatal without the care and resource sharing of others. Consequently, the human mind likely evolved to perceive social exclusion as a severe threat to survival.

Modern individuals might interpret state-provided economic support as a contemporary equivalent of tribal care. If this is true, people who are sensitive to threats—specifically those with high anxiety—should gravitate toward policies that ensure material security when they feel their social safety net is lacking.

To test this hypothesis, the researchers utilized data from four large-scale, representative surveys. These included the American National Election Studies, the Cooperative Election Study, and The American Panel Survey from the United States, as well as the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences from the Netherlands. The combined dataset included responses from nearly 18,000 participants.

Much more here: https://www.psypost.org/people-with...-likely-to-support-left-wing-economic-policy/

We've known this all along

Your anxiety forced you from your home and moved to the whitest place on the planet, . I mean, you uprooted your entire life because you were so distraught.

 

[Baztrachian]

New research provides insight into the psychological underpinnings of political ideology. The findings suggest that individuals who are prone to anxiety are more likely to support left-wing economic policies, particularly when they feel socially excluded.

Oddly, these are probably the root reasons why I'm a conservative. I deeply wish to be left the fuck alone and socialism is the utter antithesis of this desire.

 

[RoryN]

You make thousands of threads solely based on your own anxiousness and cowardice.

[/thread]

 

[Saint_Ann]

The left believes in the power of empathy. Ain't nothing that can't be solved with "good thoughts", yet prayer is dumb. Lol.

 

[Rightguide]

What they do is look at democracies that take a leftier approach to things in general and observe that things in general go a lot better there than they go here. There is nothing unreasonable about that, and nothing weak or neurotic, either.

You mean like those democracies in Europe, crumbling under the weight of foreign invasion? They are weak neurotic people who are in the process of surrendering their civilization to Islam and Third World chaos. Here's an image taken in the heart of Paris:

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/18/17/2F7C216800000578-0-image-a-5_1450461445945.jpg

 

[ll74]

Might makes right.

The Putin way!

 

[Rebel5soul]

People with anxious tendencies are more likely to support left-wing economic policy​

by Eric W. Dolan
January 6, 2026
in Anxiety, Political Psychology

https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_750,h_375/https://www.psypost.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/anxious-worried-woman-750x375.jpg



New research provides insight into the psychological underpinnings of political ideology. The findings suggest that individuals who are prone to anxiety are more likely to support left-wing economic policies, particularly when they feel socially excluded. This tendency appears to stem from a deep-seated human need for community support during times of vulnerability. The study was published in the British Journal of Political Science.

“There’s a very entrenched idea in my subfield (political psychology) that anxiety makes people more conservative/right-wing. The idea is that conservative ideas are more comforting than liberal ideas because they provide simple, neat answers to questions about life and society,” said study author Adam R. Panish, a PhD candidate at Stony Brook University.

“But around 2010, political psychologists started publishing modern high quality data that showed the opposite — anxious people were scoring much higher on measures of left-wing attitudes, particularly economic attitudes. So I wanted to try to understand why we were seeing results that are the opposite of what longstanding theories would predict. At the same time, people on social media started talking about the rise of anxiety and depression among young liberals in 2022. So it seemed like a good time to take a closer look.”

The researchers proposed the “social support hypothesis.” This framework looks at political preferences through the lens of evolutionary psychology. For early humans, survival depended entirely on the support of the group. In a foraging environment, injury or illness could be fatal without the care and resource sharing of others. Consequently, the human mind likely evolved to perceive social exclusion as a severe threat to survival.

Modern individuals might interpret state-provided economic support as a contemporary equivalent of tribal care. If this is true, people who are sensitive to threats—specifically those with high anxiety—should gravitate toward policies that ensure material security when they feel their social safety net is lacking.

To test this hypothesis, the researchers utilized data from four large-scale, representative surveys. These included the American National Election Studies, the Cooperative Election Study, and The American Panel Survey from the United States, as well as the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences from the Netherlands. The combined dataset included responses from nearly 18,000 participants.

Much more here: https://www.psypost.org/people-with...-likely-to-support-left-wing-economic-policy/

We've known this all along

Geez RG, that's pretty much self-evident. We need a little more social Darwinism around here.