Does Religion Make You Nice?

Paul Bloom looks at new happiness research. He has a theory as to why atheists in America have been found to be less happy than the devout:

The sorry state of American atheists...may have nothing to do with their lack of religious belief. It may instead be the result of their outsider status within a highly religious country where many of their fellow citizens, including very vocal ones like Schlessinger, find them immoral and unpatriotic. Religion may not poison everything, but it deserves part of the blame for this one.