Video

What Kids Wear Could Determine How Much Exercise They Get

Few College Students Have Received the H1N1 Vaccine

Night Lights Could Lead to Depression

Cervarix Has Been Approved by the FDA

The FDA Is Studying the Effects of Lasik Surgery

Painkillers Can Dull the Effects of Childhood Vaccines

Childbirth May Becoming More Complicated

Botox Sponges Might Help Nose Allergies

The FDA Advises on How to Properly Dispose of Medicine

A French Study Shows Cell Phones Do Not Affect Humans

MRIs May Lead to More Back Surgery

Your More Likely to Wash Your Hands If Someone's Watching

Co-Sleeping Is a Leading Cause of SIDS

Night Shifts Don't Have a Major Effect On Surgeons

Exercise May Counter Fatigue from Chemotherapy

Married With Children Paves Way to Happiness

Posted on 11/04/2009, 09:00
By -- Randy Dotinga

Satisfaction with life goes up as family size increases, study finds

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Want to be a happy married couple? Consider having kids.

A new study found that having children boosts happiness. And the more, literally, the merrier.

But unmarried couples shouldn't expect to find greater happiness through child-raising. The study, published in the Oct. 14 online edition of the Journal of Happiness Studies, suggests that having children has little or no effect on boosting happiness among couples who aren't hitched.

The findings contradict previous research that suggested that having more offspring doesn't lead to greater happiness and might even make people less satisfied with their lives. One theory behind the conclusion is that parents don't receive many rewards in return for the hard work of raising children.

The new study, however, notes that parents say children are one of the most important things in their lives, if not the most important.

The study found that life satisfaction for married people -- women especially -- goes up the more kids they have. Single, separated and co-habiting people, by contrast, report negative experiences.

"One is tempted to advance that children make people better off under the 'right conditions' -- a time in life when people feel that they are ready, or at least willing, to enter parenthood," Dr. Luis Angeles, of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, said in a news release from the journal's publisher. "This time can come at very different moments for different individuals, but a likely signal of its approach may well be the act of marriage."

More information

Boys Town has more about parenting.

SOURCE: Journal of Happiness Studies, news release, Oct. 26, 2009

More news in Mental Health...

BigHealthTree.com Disclaimer

Bighealthtree.com Does Not Provide Medical Advice. This site, including the above information, is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or health advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified health or medical professional before starting any new treatment, changing existing treatment, or altering your current exercise and/or diet program. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911 (or the emergency services in your area) or your doctor immediately.

Rating: 2.4 / 5 (7 votes)