Khaberni - A recent study has shown that having children does not significantly raise levels of positive emotions or life satisfaction.
A team from the University of Nicosia in Cyprus analyzed data from more than 5000 people from 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, and found that the differences between people who have children and those who do not are very slight, both in terms of daily happiness and overall life satisfaction.
The researchers added that the positive link between parenthood and happiness, as indicated by previous studies, may actually be related to the nature of a person’s emotional relationships, as individuals in marital relationships tend to be more psychologically satisfied.
The study noted that women who have children reported a slight sense of having a "purpose" in their lives, but the difference was very limited. The researchers also found that marital satisfaction tends to decline among parents compared to those without children, due to financial costs, time commitments, and psychological pressures associated with raising children.
The team emphasized that parenthood offers intense but short-lived positive emotional experiences, such as feelings of joy and pride when a child graduates from college, but it does not sustainably increase happiness levels in the long term. They said: "It is unlikely that expectations of a lasting increase in happiness will be fulfilled simply by having children."
Conversely, other studies have shown that most parents see children as a source of positive emotional experiences, such as watching them grow up, but the long-term impact on personal well-being remains limited, usually extending only for a short period of about a year after childbirth.
