Having a child may actually decrease a person’s satisfaction and happiness with life, according to a French study reported by Libération.
Researchers with France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies surveyed 10,000 residents about their current financial situation and living conditions – slipping in one innocuous question asking them to rate their satisfaction with life on a scale of one to ten.
Overall, the results were quite positive, with 92 percent of respondents rating their happiness at five or more out of ten, while 60 percent ranking it between seven and nine.
Although more money and better working conditions increased satisfaction with life, researchers found that adding a child to the family actually caused happiness levels to drop, which they attribute to the additional tasks and responsibilities that go along with parenthood.
While adding an infant to a previously child-free household had a "negative and significant impact," researchers had a harder time interpreting whether having additional children had a similar effect.
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