Does having kids REALLY make us happier?
Or is that just a filthy, filthy lie?!
Hey guys, Tara here for Dnews - and is there anything in the world that’s better than
the promise of a new child?
Hourly feedings, midnight crying fits, cleaning out vomit and feces from all of your clothes….
it truly is a magical time.
Just kidding - it’s terrible.
But we do it anyway, in hopes that our kids will grow up to be productive human beings
who will someday do all of that stuff for us when we get old.
Among other reasons, of course.
Some people have kids because they feel like they should - others do it ‘cause they feel
like it’ll bring them boundless joy that no other source could possibly provide.
But when you really look at it in retrospect, you wonder - DOES having kids actually make
us happier?
That’s the question posed in a new study published this week in the journal Demography.
And the answer - is yes.
But only for some of us.
And only up to a point.
According to this research, parents’ happiness tends to increase in the year before and after
their first child is born.
But after that point, their happiness quickly decreases and returns to the same level is
was pre-child.
Second children also follow a similar pattern, but peak happiness levels only reach about
half of what they were for the parents’ first child.
And if you decide to have a third one, the difference in happiness from doing so - is
pretty much negligible.
Of course, that’s not to say that having a third child isn’t a joyous experience.
But researchers believe it could just be a product of parenthood becoming less novel
and exciting by that time.
Or maybe it’s all the extra pressure that having three kids puts on your resources.
It’s also possible that an unplanned pregnancy becomes more likely, the more children you
have - which brings its own share of stresses to the table.
What’s interesting, is that this study found that when it comes to having children,
women tend to experience more happiness than men.
But they also have steeper drop-offs during the year AFTER their child is born.
After a few years, those happiness levels taper off - and men and women become pretty
much the same.
But there are a few other factors that also influence this.
Parents who are more educated, and older - between the ages of 35 and 49 - are shown to have
the most positive response to their first child, and they tend to stay happier for longer,
once that child is born.
By comparison, teen parents actually experience a decline in happiness, both before and after
the birth of their child.
And researchers believe this could be at least part of the reason, adults are now choosing
to postpone having children until later in life.
What do you guys think about this?
And if you have children - how did your happiness compare to what you thought it would be?
You can let us know your answers in the comments below.
Otherwise, thanks for watching!