My late father was one of the most unflappable people I've ever met. He rarely smiled, and I think in the 57 years I knew him, I only heard him laugh out loud two or three times. He wasn't dour or overly serious; he could be chipper, cheerful, even merry. He just wasn't very expressive. He was also calm, no matter what was happening. I saw him deal with floods, tornados, sick animals, and failed crops; he never lost his cool. When faced with a crisis, he remained calm, evaluated what needed doing, and then he did it. The man was a boulder: a quiet, rock-solid, unshakably calm presence.

My wife is much the same way. Unlike Dad, she's expressive and smiles and laughs regularly; the best thing about our marriage is that, after 32 years, we still always have fun together. But whenever things go south, she stays calm and has an unwavering talent for determining the right action.

With this as background, it's not surprising that I found an article by psychologist and author Jeffrey Bernstein interesting, wherein he tells us that two important life skills are the ability to remain calm, and being able to solve problems in the face of adversity.

I would happily debate with anyone that life comes down to these two crucial skills: 1. The ability to calm down and 2. problem-solving in the face of inevitable challenges. If you are reading this and feel like what I am saying is obvious, guess what? You are right.

Yet please consider the following: 

• As you read these words, Bill is losing his cool with his kids and will later regret what he said.
• Kelly won't be going to work tomorrow because she just got fired for not being able to navigate work demands. 
• Brian is now single (and wishes he wasn't) because he did not calm himself with his newfound ex-partner. 
• Kim is using substances to self-soothe because healthy ways to do so are elusive to her. 
• Sean blames others and the world as a whole for their disappointments and consequent dissatisfaction because of their inability to manage their emotions and problem-solve. 

Those are good examples, and you can see how these people failed in one or both of these attributes. But speaking as someone who writes on political issues, I probably look at things through a different lens than Dr. Bernstein and see there are some broad trends that he doesn't mention: namely, that people who skew to the right politically tend to be better at these things that people on the left.

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Consider recent events — or, for a constantly updated example, look at any social media platform. While both sides can engage in emotional outbursts, the left is far more often overtly emotional. Look also at how elected officials discuss issues. Democrats unwaveringly seem to present emotional arguments to push their agenda, and many on the left are determined to make something true by really, really believing it. The Right tends to lean more on data and logical arguments.

Granted, these are broad trends. But there is evidence that conservatives are happier than liberals, and these two skills may weigh into that; happiness, in my experience, comes from the achieving of goals and self-reliance, which is largely dependent on the ability to keep your head, analyze facts, determine causes, and so solve problems.

And besides, doesn't it seem like people on the left are always so angry?

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I do agree with Dr. Bernstein on the specifics. Being able to keep your cool and to carefully evaluate situations and solve problems are two important aspects of personality that will lead to a fulfilling life. There are so many more, though: having a loving family, a secure home, and a degree of financial security. Those things are important as well.

But then, being able to remain calm and carry on, as that famous British poster exhorts us to do, may help a lot with those other things, too.