Sure, being a parent is a stressful job, but it turns out people who are parents are actually happier than non-parents. According to USA Today, two new studies presented at the Population Association of America’s annual meeting suggest that earlier findings that parents are more depressed and less happy aren’t true.
One study looked at 130,000 adults (of that number, 52,000 were parents). Researchers looked at parent happiness levels before they had kids and after they had kids. Experts found that parents’ dissatisfaction levels weren’t worse after they had kids. The study found that parents were happier when they were getting ready for baby and during the first year after baby’s birth.
The second study analyzed surveys of 120,000 adults between 1972-2008 and found that while parents were more dissatisfied than non-parents in 1985-1995, between 1995-2008 parents were happier (the happiness levels of non-parents declined.)
Do you think parents are happier these days? If you’re a parent, do you think you’re happier than your non-parent friends?
