Your teenage mental health may say something about your vote at 40, study finds

Your teenage mental health may offer clues about the political leanings you develop later in life, according to a study. Researchers found that mental health conditions that manifest during adolescence can predict the choices you make at the ballot box nearly three decades later. The study, published in the journal Political Psychology, analyzed data from a large study of 2,215 individuals in Norway who were followed from their late teens into their forties.

The researchers focused on two types of mental health issues that often begin in youth: internalizing problems, such as depression, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness; and externalizing problems, like vandalism, skipping school, and physical fights. They discovered that individuals who experienced elevated levels of either type of problem as teenagers were more likely to have lower voter turnout and lower political trust in midlife.

Internalizing problems were associated with a tendency toward more left-wing political views, while externalizing problems were linked to a right-wing political profile.