Children are considered blessings and having a baby can bring immense joy for the family. But a new study is debunking this age-old belief. Its researchers say that having a child doesn't guarantee long-lasting happiness.
Experts from the London School of Economics presented their findings on the Origins of Happiness during a recent conference. Professors Andrew Clark, Richard Layard and their team worked on the idea that links happiness with having children and gathered data from respondents residing in the U.K., U.S., Germany, and Australia.
The researchers learned that while parents do manifest better emotional and physical well-being with the arrival of the baby, this "joy" eventually wears off within a year. "We could not find systematically large effects [on well-being] from children," the experts said, according to Daily Mail.
The researchers learned that beyond parenthood and having children, the partnership between parents influences their happiness more. Parents can adapt from the joys and stress of having kids easily, but the joys and pains of having a partner bear more effect on their well-being. Some of the subjects in their 4-year research have either lost a partner through death or separation.
"Is having a family asset for you in the long run? Having a partnership is," study head author Andrew Clark stated. "We found a positive effect of having a partner that doesn't go away over time," he added.
Studies linking parenthood happiness and having children have been done before. In July, Washington Post reported on the rise of American families growing miserable after having children compared to those who remain childless. It cited a Princeton study that indicates the cost of having babies, coupled with the anxiety and stress of raising a family in today's socio-economic environment, as contributing factors to the dissatisfaction of parents.
Children might make parents feel fulfilled, but as these studies show, it's not the only factor to happiness. What are your thoughts about parenthood and happiness? Let us know in the comments!
