Ignorance is Happyness  Study Finds Ignorance Is Bliss, and Then
Some    Troubling new research suggests that the less people
know about important complex issues such as the economy, energy
consumption and the environment, the more they want to avoid
becoming well-informed.  Researchers also determined that the
more urgent the issue, the more people want to remain unaware. 
“These studies were designed to help understand the so-called
‘ignorance is bliss’ approach to social issues,” said author
Steven Shepherd, a graduate student with the University of
Waterloo in Ontario. “The findings can assist educators in
addressing significant barriers to getting people involved and
engaged in social issues.”  Researchers conducted a series of
five studies in 2010 and 2011 studying 511 adults in the United
States and Canada.  After the interviews, researchers described
“a chain reaction from ignorance about a subject to dependence
on and trust in the government to deal with the issue.”  In one
study, comprised of 197 Am