{"id":213423,"date":"2016-11-04T14:40:23","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T18:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?p=213423"},"modified":"2019-03-20T16:28:36","modified_gmt":"2019-03-20T20:28:36","slug":"woe-to-the-losers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/","title":{"rendered":"Woe to the losers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t
\"\"

\u201cWinning an election is fine, but losing one is painful, at least in the short run,\u201d said the authors of a Harvard Kennedy School study.\n \n<\/p>

Photo by Tom Arthur\/Creative Commons<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tNation & World\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\tWoe to the losers\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\tHarvard Kennedy School Communications\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tPartisans in election defeat face a week of psychological distress, research says\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\t\t

Partisans on the wrong side of Tuesday\u2019s election might find themselves booking a quick vacation or desperately seeking a new show to binge-watch. Anything to ease the misery of losing.<\/p>\n

Because while a post-election letdown should be anticipated, especially for the losers, the depth of that sadness, as outlined in past research<\/a>, often comes as a surprise.<\/p>\n

The result was documented in a study co-authored by Associate Professor Todd Rogers of the Harvard Kennedy School. His report found that winning elections only slightly improves the happiness of those affiliated with the winning political party, while those on the losing side experience dramatic levels of sadness for as long as a week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinning an election is fine, but losing one is painful, at least in the short run,\u201d the authors wrote.<\/p>\n

Rogers, along with co-authors Lamar Pierce of Washington University in St. Louis and Jason Snyder of UCLA, analyzed thousands of daily online survey responses to compare the happiness and sadness reported by those who identified closely with political parties in the days surrounding the 2012 presidential election. Losers needed about a week to shake off their sadness.<\/p>\n

The asymmetry observed between winning and losing was in line with prior research on happiness \u2014 bad things tend to hurt more and last longer than comparable good things.<\/p>\n

To capture the felt intensity of election losses, the researchers compared the effect to that of two national tragedies. Using the same methodology, they found that respondents with children were distinctly less happy and sadder following the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, but that increase in sadness and decrease in happiness was half that felt by partisans on the losing side of an election. Similarly smaller effects were found for those living in Boston during the marathon bombing.<\/p>\n

Other research had established that partisan identity shapes social, mental, economic, and physical life. The Rogers findings signaled intense effects on identity and well-being.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe find that partisan identity is even more central to the self than past research might have suggested,\u201d the authors said. \u201cIn addition to affecting thinking, preferences, and behavior, it also has sizable hedonic consequences, especially when people experience partisan losses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new study co-authored by a Harvard Kennedy School researcher sees deep sorrow ahead for those on the wrong side of the election. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105622744,"featured_media":213428,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gz_ga_pageviews":11,"gz_ga_lastupdated":"2017-01-12 16:39","document_color_palette":"crimson","author":"","affiliation":"Harvard Kennedy School Communications","_category_override":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1378],"tags":[11956,37217,37218,34063],"gazette-formats":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-213423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nation-world","tag-election","tag-partisan","tag-political-research","tag-todd-rogers"],"yoast_head":"\nWoe to the losers — Harvard Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A new study co-authored by a Harvard Kennedy School researcher sees deep sorrow ahead for those on the wrong side of the election.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Woe to the losers — Harvard Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A new study co-authored by a Harvard Kennedy School researcher sees deep sorrow ahead for those on the wrong side of the election.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Harvard Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-11-04T18:40:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-03-20T20:28:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"605\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"403\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"harvardgazette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"harvardgazette\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/78d028cf624923e92682268709ffbc4b\"},\"headline\":\"Woe to the losers\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-04T18:40:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-20T20:28:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/\"},\"wordCount\":392,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Election\",\"partisan\",\"political research\",\"Todd Rogers\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Nation & World\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2016\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/\",\"name\":\"Woe to the losers — Harvard Gazette\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-04T18:40:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-20T20:28:36+00:00\",\"description\":\"A new study co-authored by a Harvard Kennedy School researcher sees deep sorrow ahead for those on the wrong side of the election.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg\",\"width\":605,\"height\":403,\"caption\":\"Tom Arthur from Orange, CA, United States\/Creative Commons\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/\",\"name\":\"Harvard Gazette\",\"description\":\"Official news from Harvard University covering innovation in teaching, learning, and research\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Harvard Gazette\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg\",\"width\":164,\"height\":64,\"caption\":\"The Harvard Gazette\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/78d028cf624923e92682268709ffbc4b\",\"name\":\"harvardgazette\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Woe to the losers — Harvard Gazette","description":"A new study co-authored by a Harvard Kennedy School researcher sees deep sorrow ahead for those on the wrong side of the election.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Woe to the losers — Harvard Gazette","og_description":"A new study co-authored by a Harvard Kennedy School researcher sees deep sorrow ahead for those on the wrong side of the election.","og_url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/","og_site_name":"Harvard Gazette","article_published_time":"2016-11-04T18:40:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-03-20T20:28:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":605,"height":403,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"harvardgazette","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/"},"author":{"name":"harvardgazette","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/78d028cf624923e92682268709ffbc4b"},"headline":"Woe to the losers","datePublished":"2016-11-04T18:40:23+00:00","dateModified":"2019-03-20T20:28:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/"},"wordCount":392,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg","keywords":["Election","partisan","political research","Todd Rogers"],"articleSection":["Nation & World"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2016","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/","name":"Woe to the losers — Harvard Gazette","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg","datePublished":"2016-11-04T18:40:23+00:00","dateModified":"2019-03-20T20:28:36+00:00","description":"A new study co-authored by a Harvard Kennedy School researcher sees deep sorrow ahead for those on the wrong side of the election.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg","width":605,"height":403,"caption":"Tom Arthur from Orange, CA, United States\/Creative Commons"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/","name":"Harvard Gazette","description":"Official news from Harvard University covering innovation in teaching, learning, and research","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#organization","name":"The Harvard Gazette","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg","width":164,"height":64,"caption":"The Harvard Gazette"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/#\/schema\/person\/78d028cf624923e92682268709ffbc4b","name":"harvardgazette"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Woe to the losers","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/11\/woe-to-the-losers\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg?w=150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg"},"articleSection":"Nation & World","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"harvardgazette"}],"creator":["harvardgazette"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Harvard Gazette","logo":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg"},"keywords":["election","partisan","political research","todd rogers"],"dateCreated":"2016-11-04T18:40:23Z","datePublished":"2016-11-04T18:40:23Z","dateModified":"2019-03-20T20:28:36Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Woe to the losers\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/gazette\\\/story\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/woe-to-the-losers\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/gazette\\\/story\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/woe-to-the-losers\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/voting_united_states.jpg?w=150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/voting_united_states.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Nation & World\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"harvardgazette\"}],\"creator\":[\"harvardgazette\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Harvard Gazette\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.harvard.edu\\\/gazette\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/Harvard_Gazette_logo.svg\"},\"keywords\":[\"election\",\"partisan\",\"political research\",\"todd rogers\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2016-11-04T18:40:23Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-04T18:40:23Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-20T20:28:36Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/news.harvard.edu\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg","has_blocks":true,"block_data":{"0":{"blockName":"harvard-gazette\/article-header","attrs":{"blockColorPalette":"","coloredHeading":"","creditText":"Photo by Tom Arthur\/Creative Commons","displayDetails":"","displayTitle":"","categoryId":1378,"mediaAlt":"","mediaCaption":"\u201cWinning an election is fine, but losing one is painful, at least in the short run,\u201d said the authors of a Harvard Kennedy School study.\n \n","mediaId":213428,"mediaSize":"full","mediaType":"image","mediaUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg","poster":"","title":"Woe to the losers","subheading":"Partisans in election defeat face a week of psychological distress, research says","centeredImage":true,"className":"is-style-full-width-text-below","mediaHeight":403,"mediaWidth":605,"backgroundFixed":false,"backgroundTone":"light","coloredBackground":false,"displayOverlay":true,"fadeInText":false,"isAmbient":false,"mediaLength":"","mediaPosition":"","posterText":"","titleAbove":false,"useUncroppedImage":false,"lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"403\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg\" width=\"605\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">\u201cWinning an election is fine, but losing one is painful, at least in the short run,\u201d said the authors of a Harvard Kennedy School study.\n \n<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Photo by Tom Arthur\/Creative Commons<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","innerContent":["<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"403\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg\" width=\"605\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">\u201cWinning an election is fine, but losing one is painful, at least in the short run,\u201d said the authors of a Harvard Kennedy School study.\n \n<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Photo by Tom Arthur\/Creative Commons<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"],"rendered":"<header\n\tclass=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-article-header alignfull article-header is-style-full-width-text-below centered-image\"\n\tstyle=\" \"\n>\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"403\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/voting_united_states.jpg\" width=\"605\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">\u201cWinning an election is fine, but losing one is painful, at least in the short run,\u201d said the authors of a Harvard Kennedy School study.\n \n<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Photo by Tom Arthur\/Creative Commons<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t<div class=\"article-header__content\">\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"article-header__category\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\tNation & World\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t<h1 class=\"article-header__title wp-block-heading \">\n\t\tWoe to the losers\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<div class=\"article-header__meta\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<address class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"author wp-block-post-author__name\">\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-post-author__byline\">\n\t\t\tHarvard Kennedy School Communications\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<time class=\"article-header__date\" datetime=\"2016-11-04\">\n\t\t\tNovember 4, 2016\t\t<\/time>\n\n\t\t<span class=\"article-header__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t2 min read\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-header__subheading wp-block-heading\">\n\t\t\tPartisans in election defeat face a week of psychological distress, research says\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n"},"2":{"blockName":"core\/group","attrs":{"templateLock":false,"metadata":{"name":"Article content"},"align":"wide","layout":{"type":"constrained","justifyContent":"center"},"tagName":"div","lock":[],"className":"","style":[],"backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","ariaLabel":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\t\t<p>Partisans on the wrong side of Tuesday\u2019s election might find themselves booking a quick vacation or desperately seeking a new show to binge-watch. Anything to ease the misery of losing.<\/p>\n<p>Because while a post-election letdown should be anticipated, especially for the losers, the depth of that sadness, as outlined in <a href=\"https:\/\/research.hks.harvard.edu\/publications\/workingpapers\/citation.aspx?PubId=9504&type=WPN\">past research<\/a>, often comes as a surprise.<\/p>\n<p>The result was documented in a study co-authored by Associate Professor Todd Rogers of the Harvard Kennedy School. His report found that winning elections only slightly improves the happiness of those affiliated with the winning political party, while those on the losing side experience dramatic levels of sadness for as long as a week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWinning an election is fine, but losing one is painful, at least in the short run,\u201d the authors wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Rogers, along with co-authors Lamar Pierce of Washington University in St. Louis and Jason Snyder of UCLA, analyzed thousands of daily online survey responses to compare the happiness and sadness reported by those who identified closely with political parties in the days surrounding the 2012 presidential election. Losers needed about a week to shake off their sadness.<\/p>\n<p>The asymmetry observed between winning and losing was in line with prior research on happiness \u2014 bad things tend to hurt more and last longer than comparable good things.<\/p>\n<p>To capture the felt intensity of election losses, the researchers compared the effect to that of two national tragedies. Using the same methodology, they found that respondents with children were distinctly less happy and sadder following the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, but that increase in sadness and decrease in happiness was half that felt by partisans on the losing side of an election. Similarly smaller effects were found for those living in Boston during the marathon bombing.<\/p>\n<p>Other research had established that partisan identity shapes social, mental, economic, and physical life. The Rogers findings signaled intense effects on identity and well-being.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe find that partisan identity is even more central to the self than past research might have suggested,\u201d the authors said. \u201cIn addition to affecting thinking, preferences, and behavior, it also has sizable hedonic consequences, especially when people experience partisan losses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n","innerContent":["\n\t\t<p>Partisans on the wrong side of Tuesday\u2019s election might find themselves booking a quick vacation or desperately seeking a new show to binge-watch. Anything to ease the misery of losing.<\/p>\n<p>Because while a post-election letdown should be anticipated, especially for the losers, the depth of that sadness, as outlined in <a href=\"https:\/\/research.hks.harvard.edu\/publications\/workingpapers\/citation.aspx?PubId=9504&type=WPN\">past research<\/a>, often comes as a surprise.<\/p>\n<p>The result was documented in a study co-authored by Associate Professor Todd Rogers of the Harvard Kennedy School. His report found that winning elections only slightly improves the happiness of those affiliated with the winning political party, while those on the losing side experience dramatic levels of sadness for as long as a week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWinning an election is fine, but losing one is painful, at least in the short run,\u201d the authors wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Rogers, along with co-authors Lamar Pierce of Washington University in St. Louis and Jason Snyder of UCLA, analyzed thousands of daily online survey responses to compare the happiness and sadness reported by those who identified closely with political parties in the days surrounding the 2012 presidential election. Losers needed about a week to shake off their sadness.<\/p>\n<p>The asymmetry observed between winning and losing was in line with prior research on happiness \u2014 bad things tend to hurt more and last longer than comparable good things.<\/p>\n<p>To capture the felt intensity of election losses, the researchers compared the effect to that of two national tragedies. Using the same methodology, they found that respondents with children were distinctly less happy and sadder following the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, but that increase in sadness and decrease in happiness was half that felt by partisans on the losing side of an election. Similarly smaller effects were found for those living in Boston during the marathon bombing.<\/p>\n<p>Other research had established that partisan identity shapes social, mental, economic, and physical life. The Rogers findings signaled intense effects on identity and well-being.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe find that partisan identity is even more central to the self than past research might have suggested,\u201d the authors said. \u201cIn addition to affecting thinking, preferences, and behavior, it also has sizable hedonic consequences, especially when people experience partisan losses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n"],"rendered":"\n\t\t<p>Partisans on the wrong side of Tuesday\u2019s election might find themselves booking a quick vacation or desperately seeking a new show to binge-watch. Anything to ease the misery of losing.<\/p>\n<p>Because while a post-election letdown should be anticipated, especially for the losers, the depth of that sadness, as outlined in <a href=\"https:\/\/research.hks.harvard.edu\/publications\/workingpapers\/citation.aspx?PubId=9504&type=WPN\">past research<\/a>, often comes as a surprise.<\/p>\n<p>The result was documented in a study co-authored by Associate Professor Todd Rogers of the Harvard Kennedy School. His report found that winning elections only slightly improves the happiness of those affiliated with the winning political party, while those on the losing side experience dramatic levels of sadness for as long as a week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWinning an election is fine, but losing one is painful, at least in the short run,\u201d the authors wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Rogers, along with co-authors Lamar Pierce of Washington University in St. Louis and Jason Snyder of UCLA, analyzed thousands of daily online survey responses to compare the happiness and sadness reported by those who identified closely with political parties in the days surrounding the 2012 presidential election. Losers needed about a week to shake off their sadness.<\/p>\n<p>The asymmetry observed between winning and losing was in line with prior research on happiness \u2014 bad things tend to hurt more and last longer than comparable good things.<\/p>\n<p>To capture the felt intensity of election losses, the researchers compared the effect to that of two national tragedies. Using the same methodology, they found that respondents with children were distinctly less happy and sadder following the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, but that increase in sadness and decrease in happiness was half that felt by partisans on the losing side of an election. Similarly smaller effects were found for those living in Boston during the marathon bombing.<\/p>\n<p>Other research had established that partisan identity shapes social, mental, economic, and physical life. The Rogers findings signaled intense effects on identity and well-being.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe find that partisan identity is even more central to the self than past research might have suggested,\u201d the authors said. \u201cIn addition to affecting thinking, preferences, and behavior, it also has sizable hedonic consequences, especially when people experience partisan losses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n"}],"innerHTML":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n","innerContent":["\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n","\n\n<\/div>\n"],"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n\t\t<p>Partisans on the wrong side of Tuesday\u2019s election might find themselves booking a quick vacation or desperately seeking a new show to binge-watch. Anything to ease the misery of losing.<\/p>\n<p>Because while a post-election letdown should be anticipated, especially for the losers, the depth of that sadness, as outlined in <a href=\"https:\/\/research.hks.harvard.edu\/publications\/workingpapers\/citation.aspx?PubId=9504&type=WPN\">past research<\/a>, often comes as a surprise.<\/p>\n<p>The result was documented in a study co-authored by Associate Professor Todd Rogers of the Harvard Kennedy School. His report found that winning elections only slightly improves the happiness of those affiliated with the winning political party, while those on the losing side experience dramatic levels of sadness for as long as a week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWinning an election is fine, but losing one is painful, at least in the short run,\u201d the authors wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Rogers, along with co-authors Lamar Pierce of Washington University in St. Louis and Jason Snyder of UCLA, analyzed thousands of daily online survey responses to compare the happiness and sadness reported by those who identified closely with political parties in the days surrounding the 2012 presidential election. Losers needed about a week to shake off their sadness.<\/p>\n<p>The asymmetry observed between winning and losing was in line with prior research on happiness \u2014 bad things tend to hurt more and last longer than comparable good things.<\/p>\n<p>To capture the felt intensity of election losses, the researchers compared the effect to that of two national tragedies. Using the same methodology, they found that respondents with children were distinctly less happy and sadder following the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, but that increase in sadness and decrease in happiness was half that felt by partisans on the losing side of an election. Similarly smaller effects were found for those living in Boston during the marathon bombing.<\/p>\n<p>Other research had established that partisan identity shapes social, mental, economic, and physical life. The Rogers findings signaled intense effects on identity and well-being.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe find that partisan identity is even more central to the self than past research might have suggested,\u201d the authors said. \u201cIn addition to affecting thinking, preferences, and behavior, it also has sizable hedonic consequences, especially when people experience partisan losses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n"}},"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":396178,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2024\/11\/reality-of-elections-vs-election-night-theater-media\/","url_meta":{"origin":213423,"position":0},"title":"Lesson about election night for media? Winner should be American democracy.","author":"Christina Pazzanese","date":"November 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"News outlets taking greater care in close, fraught contest, experts say, but moving away from horse-race coverage is healthy idea anyway","rel":"","context":"In "Nation & World"","block_context":{"text":"Nation & World","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Collage of scenes from 2020 presidential election from TV news and Associated Press coverage of the dayslong vote count to workers tallying ballots in Pennsylvania.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/election_night.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/election_night.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/election_night.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/election_night.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":350417,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2022\/11\/divisive-elections-linked-to-sleep-disruption-alcohol-consumption\/","url_meta":{"origin":213423,"position":1},"title":"Alcohol, sleep, and politics","author":"harvardgazette","date":"November 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A new BIDMC study suggests that divisive political events like elections can negatively affect one's sleep and emotional well-being.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Man holding a glass of alcohol.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/iStock-man-drinking.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/iStock-man-drinking.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/iStock-man-drinking.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/iStock-man-drinking.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":312050,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/09\/presidential-polls-what-you-need-to-pay-attention-to\/","url_meta":{"origin":213423,"position":2},"title":"Pollster looks at how pandemic, loss of RBG may affect election","author":"Lian Parsons","date":"September 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Polling methodology expert Chase Harrison talks about why the 2020 election polls can explain how COVID-19 may reshape the vote, and offers some useful insights into the presidential race.","rel":"","context":"In "Nation & World"","block_context":{"text":"Nation & World","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Chase Harrison","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/091720_Harrison_Chase_250.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/091720_Harrison_Chase_250.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/091720_Harrison_Chase_250.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/091720_Harrison_Chase_250.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":316636,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/11\/what-the-election-may-tell-us-about-the-future\/","url_meta":{"origin":213423,"position":3},"title":"What the election may tell us about the future","author":"harvardgazette","date":"November 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The five panelists on a Tuesday roundtable discussed \u201cImplications of the 2020 Election.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In "Nation & World"","block_context":{"text":"Nation & World","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Danielle Allen.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/111720_Implications_001jpg_2500.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/111720_Implications_001jpg_2500.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/111720_Implications_001jpg_2500.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/111720_Implications_001jpg_2500.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":313872,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/10\/uptick-in-heart-attacks-following-2016-presidential-election\/","url_meta":{"origin":213423,"position":4},"title":"Heart attack uptick attached to 2016 presidential election","author":"harvardgazette","date":"October 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days after the 2016 presidential election, hospitalization rates for heart attacks and strokes were 1.62 times higher than the same two days the week prior, based on information supplied by a large southern California health system.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Illustration of heart.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iStockSantoelia.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iStockSantoelia.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iStockSantoelia.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iStockSantoelia.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":315781,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/11\/harvard-analysts-react-to-the-2020-election\/","url_meta":{"origin":213423,"position":5},"title":"Legal experts shake their heads at GOP election suits","author":"Lian Parsons","date":"November 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Legal experts say not to expect President Trump's election suits to be successful, but they could prove useful to him in other ways.","rel":"","context":"In "Nation & World"","block_context":{"text":"Nation & World","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Election staff packing ballots.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_20309160898900_2500.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_20309160898900_2500.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_20309160898900_2500.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_20309160898900_2500.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105622744"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213423"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":213444,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213423\/revisions\/213444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213423"},{"taxonomy":"format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gazette-formats?post=213423"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=213423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}