Does Having Children Make You Happier?

According to recent research there’s good news for parents – having a child makes you happier. But does having more children make you even happier?

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania set out to answer this question by studying the effects of childbirth on men and women. They found that new mother’s are 20% happier than women without a child, while father’s happiness gains are smaller. Men are nearly 75% happier when having a first born son than having a first born daughter, but they found no such difference in mother’s. The researchers speculate that women are better than men at being able to enjoy the company of both boys and girls.

The most surprising part of this research? Parent’s happiness levels were not found to increase when having a second or third child. In fact mother’s happiness levels dropped after the birth of a second or third child.  “If you want to maximise your subjective well-being, you should stop at one child,” concludes Kohler, the lead researcher at University of Pennsylvania. He suggests that parents are more likely to have a second child for the benefit of the first born, or because they believe that if the first child made them happier, a second child will too.

If you are a parent do you agree with these findings?