An article in Newsweek discusses the latest studies on happiness and children, which find that parents are less happy than non-parents. (Via Will Wilkinson and Megan)
In Daniel Gilbert's 2006 book "Stumbling on Happiness," the Harvard professor of psychology looks at several studies and concludes that marital satisfaction decreases dramatically after the birth of the first child—and increases only when the last child has left home. He also ascertains that parents are happier grocery shopping and even sleeping than spending time with their kids. Other data cited by 2008's "Gross National Happiness" author, Arthur C. Brooks, finds that parents are about 7 percentage points less likely to report being happy than the childless.
In fact, we seem even more unhappy about the rugrats than we did in the past. Some point to the increasing difficulties of mixing work and family. Or it may because more of us had a blast in our 20s, so those late night feeding and temper tantrums are rather a shock to the system.
Wilkinson says that empirical studies on these matters are limited, since the intense love for our kids may compensate for the hassle. Megan says the findings in the study sound about right and that women have been sold a pack of lies in order to agree to marry and pump out kids.
There's got to be something rewarding, if not happy making, about having kids. Or else, why do parents have more than one. If they had been sold a pack of lies, you would think that after the first one, they would catch on and stop. No, people keep pumping them out and go for two or three.
The low level of happiness that is being measured by parents is certainly tied to the crappy work-family laws in this country. Northern European countries with more liberal policies in this area have higher birthrates than Italy and Spain with less liberal laws. So, these studies haven't measured the right thing. Unhappiness comes from the lack of support from government and society. It's not the kids that make us sad; it's the hostile environment.
