Denver, Colo., Nov 11, 2009 / 16:18 pm
A recent study has found that getting married and having children increase happiness and overall life satisfaction. Commenting on the results, author and TV personality Rachel Campos-Duffy told CNA that this runs counter to the prevailing culture and “reminds couples to appreciate each other and the beautiful messiness of child-rearing right here and now.”
Published on Oct. 14 in the online edition of the Journal of Happiness Studies, the study, titled “Children and Life Satisfaction” emphasizes the importance of couples being married with children, versus unmarried with children. The study concluded that single, separated or cohabiting people with children reported negative experiences as opposed to married couples with children, who reported positive experiences.
Dr. Luis Angeles, professor at Glasgow University in Scotland and author of the study stated that “one is tempted to advance that children make people better off under the 'right conditions' – a time in life when people feel they are ready or at least willing, to enter parenthood.” Angeles continued to say that “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.”
The study also concluded that the more children a married couple has, the greater the life satisfaction, especially for women.