Childless couples are happiest.

[EL PRESIDENTE]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/13/childless-couples-happier-kids-study_n_4589368.html

The happiest couples are those without children -- at least, that's according to research out of the United Kingdom's Open University.

The study titled "Enduring Love?" found that childless married and unmarried couples reported being more satisfied in life and feeling more valued by their partners than did pairs with kids. Unmarried parents were found to be slightly happier than married parents.

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the research involved intensive interviews and surveys with more than 5,000 people of all ages and sexual orientations in long-term relationships.

Of those interviewed, mothers reported being happier with life than any other group, and childless women reported being the least happy, the study, which was obtained by The Huffington Post, revealed.

The child factor also influenced intimacy levels among couples. Fathers were twice as likely to cite a lack of sexual intimacy as the biggest downfall of their relationships, while mothers reported that they want to have sex less often than their partners do.

According to the research, simple expressions of gratitude play a big role in fulfilling marriages. Small gestures, such as telling a partner “thank you” and giving compliments, were shown to be among the most important factors in maintaining healthy relationships.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Societally, sex and happiness are correlated, if not equated. Biologically, parenthood reduces sex drive (this study seems to suggest). Not coincidentally, less sex causes fathers to think they're being deprived of what society says is necessary for happiness.

Sent from my LG-LS840 using Tapatalk

 

[HailBlazers]

Societally, sex and happiness are correlated, if not equated. Biologically, parenthood reduces sex drive (this study seems to suggest). Not coincidentally, less sex causes fathers to think they're being deprived of what society says is necessary for happiness.

Haha good catch!

There is a big difference between Happiness and Joy.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Food and Board and school costs for 18 yrs 250K, activites, sports and gifts 50K; college education 50K/yr . . . . family memories, priceless.


(Actually tons more discretionary cash sounds better than family memories)

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

(Actually tons more discretionary cash sounds better than family memories)

 

[MARIS61]

No surprise that centuries of inbreeding have left Brits with a high incidence of disappointing offspring.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

No surprise that centuries of inbreeding have left Brits with a high incidence of disappointing offspring.

LOL.

I wouldn't trade my kids for anything. And we're doing just fine financially for ourselves with kids.

 

[PapaG]

LOL.

I wouldn't trade my kids for anything. And we're doing just fine financially for ourselves with kids.

I feel the same way. I wouldn't trade my girls for anything. I can understand where this survey is coming from, but I don't think it tells the entire story. It's not easy to be the same in your marriage after you have kids to love and parent. It changes everything, for both good and bad. The positives far outweigh the negatives for my wife and me.

 

[THE HCP]

I feel the same way. I wouldn't trade my girls for anything. I can understand where this survey is coming from, but I don't think it tells the entire story. It's not easy to be the same in your marriage after you have kids to love and parent. It changes everything, for both good and bad. The positives far outweigh the negatives for my wife and me.

Perfect post!

 

[Rhal]

Agreed, perfect post by PapaG.

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[BLAZINGGIANTS]

I feel the same way. I wouldn't trade my girls for anything. I can understand where this survey is coming from, but I don't think it tells the entire story. It's not easy to be the same in your marriage after you have kids to love and parent. It changes everything, for both good and bad. The positives far outweigh the negatives for my wife and me.

Nice post. Totally agree.

As Maris' joke points out, it is the Brits. Just gotta consider the source (and the source's lab rats).

 

[3RA1N1AC]

Its not the kids that make you miserable, its the spouse

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

No surprise that centuries of inbreeding have left Brits with a high incidence of disappointing offspring.

HAHAHA!!!

Sort of like your neck of the woods, eh?

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Its not the kids that make you miserable, its the spouse

Well...kids are expensive and keep you tied down from freedom which can affect the spouse.

hoop fam

 

[riverman]

There's no rule for happiness as a parent or childless couple but one thing is for sure, too many people are having kids who don't have a clue how to raise them.

 

[MickZagger]

Gangbang at XxericsXx

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Well...kids are expensive and keep you tied down from freedom which can affect the spouse.

hoop fam

Explain this "tied down" to me. People say it, but I don't understand it.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

Well...kids are expensive and keep you tied down from freedom which can affect the spouse.

hoop fam

Its hard to explain to someone without kids, its like trying to explain the virtues of a good round of testicle torture

Dont knock it till you try it

 

[mook]

There are a lot more highs and lows being a parent, since your own happiness is somewhat contingent on a pretty volatile small person's happiness. If you talked to 10 married couples with kids, you may find 6 of them average happiness, 3 a little unhappy because their kids were doing something a little annoying, and 1 couple truly ecstatic over their kid doing something amazing. You may take the average and say, "Hey, couples with kids are less happy." But how do you weigh the downer of cleaning a diaper vs the awesomeness of your kid saying "daddy" for the first time?

Also, does this study track people's happiness in their 60's and 70's? I imagine as I approach the end of my life I'll take a lot of satisfaction in seeing my sons grow up and hopefully have their own kids.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I'd also think that there's a factor that couples with children have been where those childless couples are. I'd be interested to see the happiness factors of a couple with kids before and after kids, not those with and those without.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Explain this "tied down" to me. People say it, but I don't understand it.

Can you drop everything at a notice and just go anywhere, do anything you want? If you want to stay home and just lay in bed and fuck around town all day by yourself, can you?

Or do you have to take your kids to soccer practice? Do you have to take them to school? Do you really have to go to another stupid birthday party for other spoiled entitled brats when you'd rather be chillin.

That's being tied down.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Also the whole "paying for someone else to live" thing instead of spending it all on yourself.

 

[THE HCP]

Ha! Pres I used to feel the same way you do.......when I was 20.

Having kids is tough, but you can't put a value on watching my son hit his first 3 pointer or when I get home from a long ass road trip and my daughter has a drawing she made me sitting at my desk.

Kids aren't for everybody, but don't knock it til you see your child take his first steps.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Ha! Pres I used to feel the same way you do.......when I was 20.

Having kids is tough, but you can't put a value on watching my son hit his first 3 pointer or when I get home from a long ass road trip and my daughter has a drawing she made me sitting at my desk.

Kids aren't for everybody, but don't knock it til you see your child take his first steps.

See, people like to talk about the highlights, but I think that's probably only less than 1% of all total activities. The rest of the time is just constant maintenance, care, and watching over when you could be doing something else.

 

[cmeese47]

Food and Board and school costs for 18 yrs 250K, activites, sports and gifts 50K; college education 50K/yr . . . . family memories, priceless.


(Actually tons more discretionary cash sounds better than family memories)

Using that 350000 to travel see the world and do whatever you like now that is priceless.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Using that 350000 to travel see the world and do whatever you like now that is priceless.

Well, and the time as well. Like I said, instead of constantly watching, overseeing and making sure your kids don't burn your house down or get pregnant...how fun is that?

Maybe when kids are young its all good, but when they get older and they get their own shit, they start hating you and rebelling..that must suck balls.

 

[cmeese47]

But how do you weigh the downer of cleaning a diaper vs the awesomeness of your kid saying "daddy" for the first time?

Also, does this study track people's happiness in their 60's and 70's? I imagine as I approach the end of my life I'll take a lot of satisfaction in seeing my sons grow up and hopefully have their own kids.

To this first part it is easy you offset the joy of the word daddy with season tickets.

The later is more complicated which is why I advocate for adoption and parents in their 40's, people in their 40's are generally more financially stable and have had a chance to experience some of the world, provided of course they have not been saddled with kids. I think this combination allows for the freedom needed for happiness at a young age and the comfort of family when your old.

 

[BrianFromWA]

It's also a societal shift.

A couple of generations ago, that 350k or equivalent was your downpayment on not living off ramen noodles in a crappy apartment or halfway house when you got too old to work. Kids would take care of parents. Nuclear families were strong.

Now, (am I'm not saying anyone here would ) you don't have to worry about it, because the government makes sure that you can blow that 350k on yourself traveling or whatnot, and the other 300M people in the country will take care of you--which means that instead of being homeless and starving on the street you'll have ramen noodles in an old folks' home somewhere.

 

[riverman]

In all honesty here, my youngest is a senior at Oregon State, 22 and one of my best friends. He was a joy to raise and now I'm just getting over "empty nesting syndrome" which I never thought I'd have. I was wrong there. There's a lot of joy to parenting and it's worth it if you can afford to do it and make an effort. I think getting married when I was 35 balanced out single life, travel and parenthood. I worry when I see teen parents. That's a recipe for disaster in my opinion.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Can you drop everything at a notice and just go anywhere, do anything you want? If you want to stay home and just lay in bed and fuck around town all day by yourself, can you?

Or do you have to take your kids to soccer practice? Do you have to take them to school? Do you really have to go to another stupid birthday party for other spoiled entitled brats when you'd rather be chillin.

That's being tied down.

We're still talking couples, though. You're tied down when you're in a relationship, much of it's just in different ways.

Call me a bad father..... cuz pretty much...... I do what I want.

I do go fuck around town all the time. Sometimes by myself, but I actually kinda have more fun with my older daughter with me. Sometimes, I chill in bed and watch TV all day. It's actually better with one or both of my kids chillin'.

Practices...... Mom and grandma take them. Sometimes, I want to go and I go. School? Sorry, dude. I don't get this one. My daughter's school is on the way to work. And, I consider it a reward. Sure, the stay-at-home soccer mom's rollin' in their $80-$100K cars is kind of annoying, but I've never seen so many beautiful, in-shape women in yoga pants in my life. My daughter didn't go to school today - color me quite disappointed, honestly.

As for money, I spend a lot of money on myself (and the house). Just bought a ton of stuff for myself, actually (I'm not going to list it all because, one, I don't want to come off as bragging; and two, I don't trust you stiffs here not to try to jack my shit).

Meh. I think it's all in perspective and personality. To each his own. I'm a big kid. So, if I'm going to be "tied down", there are plenty of times I'd rather spend it doing kid things with my kids than being grown up with the wife.