The palliative function of system-justifying ideologies

Beliefs that justify or rationalizing existing inequalities appear to serve a ‘palliative function’, insofar as they are associated with better subjective well-being and physical health. We review the most recent work on the relationship between system-justifying ideologies and subjective well-being, with a particular focus on (1) system justifying beliefs among members of disadvantaged groups, and (2) the contextual variation in the relationship between system justifying beliefs and subjective well-being. We then turn to open questions for future research, including questions about causality, the role of religiosity, measurement of subjective well-being, and long-term versus short-term effects of system justification on well-being.