Mommy, I Want My Tax Cut! - Do whiny kids grow up to be conservatives? By William�Saletan: "A longitudinal study suggests whiny kids grow up to be conservative. They 'turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity. The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests.' The authors suspect 'insecure kids look for the reassurance provided by tradition and authority,' whereas 'the more confident kids are eager to explore alternatives.' This matches a 2003 analysis that suggested 'people who are dogmatic, fearful, [and] intolerant of ambiguity ... are more likely to gravitate to conservatism.' Criticisms: 1) They did the study in Berkeley. 2) The correlations aren't that strong. 3) They skewed the interpretation, calling moral confidence 'rigidity.' 4) They overlooked left-wing rigidity. 5) What about the recent Pew study that showed Republicans are happier than Democrats?(For Human Nature's takes on left-wing rigidity and right-wing sexual liberalism, click here and here.)"