Parenthood Arrives with Happiness for Older, Married Couples
Children might be messy, spoilt brats throwing tantrums, but research has now shown that arrival of children brings bundles of joy to parents.
The study says that, contrary to popular belief, raising children is associated with happiness by married couples. Parents, it says, find more happiness in taking care of their kids than in any other activity.
"This series of studies suggest that parents are not nearly the 'miserable creatures' we might expect from recent studies and popular representations. If you went to a large dinner party, our findings suggest that the parents in the room would be as happy as or happier than those guests without children,” says Elizabeth Dunn, co-author of the study.
A separate study published in the Journal of Family Issue back in the 80’s said that presence of children changes the marital structure and in turn causes lower marital happiness. The study outlined how division of labor after the arrival of “new one” creates trouble in the family due to traditionalism.
Another study published in the same journal (almost a decade later) says that economics of raising a child and not the division of labor is the reason behind parents’ stress.
The present study suggests that fathers are happier than mothers while taking care of kids as it brings them a sense of purpose in life.
"Interestingly, the greater levels of parental happiness emerged more consistently in fathers than mothers. While more research is needed on this topic, it suggests that the pleasures of parenthood may be offset by the surge in responsibility and housework that arrives with motherhood," Dunn says.
The study was conducted by researchers from University of California, Riverside, the University of British Columbia and Stanford University.
"We find that if you are older (and presumably more mature) and if you are married (and presumably have more social and financial support), then you're likely to be happier if you have children than your childless peers," says Sonja Lyubomirsky professor of psychology at UC Riverside.
“We are not saying that parenting makes people happy, but that parenthood is associated with happiness and meaning. Contrary to repeated scholarly and media pronouncements, people may find solace that parenthood and child care may actually be linked to feelings of happiness and meaning in life,” Lyubomirsky says.