Married with children: The recipe for happiness, according to new research

Have you ever wondered who the happiest people are in our daily lives? Many may assume it's those chasing their career dreams, pursuing higher education, starting exciting businesses, or exploring the world without being "tied down" by family responsibilities.

However, the General Social Survey (GSS), a respected source of social science research with over 50 years of data, challenges these assumptions. Surprisingly, it's not the single and unattached individuals but rather married women and men who are parents that consistently report the highest levels of being "very happy."

The Institute for Family Studies (IFS) has recently released an enlightening research brief that sheds light on this phenomenon. They explained that the GSS data suggests that both marriage and parenthood together are linked to the most significant happiness dividends, particularly for women.

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The data reveals a striking pattern: among married women with children aged 18 to 55, an impressive 40 per cent reported feeling "very happy." In contrast, only 25 per cent of married women without children and a mere 22 per cent of unmarried childless women expressed the same level of happiness.

Unmarried mothers, on the other hand, seem to be the least likely to report being "very happy," with only 17 per cent experiencing such contentment. The IFS scholars note that this trend has been consistently observed in earlier research, stating, "In previous surveys, we found that married women with children tended to be the happiest and least lonely."

The data for men follows a similar pattern. Married fathers, when all other life factors are equal, are more than twice as likely to report being "very happy" compared to their childless and unmarried counterparts.

The IFS researchers clarify, "In contrast, unmarried childless men, and especially unmarried fathers, are the least happy—with fewer than 15% of these men reporting they are 'very happy.'"

The comparison between men and women actively raising families within marital relationships and their non-married and childless peers reveals a substantial happiness gap. Marriage and parenthood consistently bring greater happiness to the lives of both men and women, even if it means allocating less time, energy, and financial resources to personal pursuits.

One possible explanation lies in the fact that personal happiness often thrives when we are surrounded by loved ones who benefit from and reciprocate our affection within the framework of marital and parental relationships.

Recent research from a leading economist at the University of Chicago supports this idea, revealing that marriage is the life choice most closely associated with higher levels of personal happiness, surpassing other paths by a significant margin. This research highlighted a remarkable 30-percentage-point increase in happiness among the married compared to the unmarried. It also emphasised that the decline in marriage rates among adults is a leading factor behind the recent decrease in overall happiness across the general population.

The IFS concludes that the GSS data strongly supports the idea that happiness is intrinsically linked to American family life. They affirm that traditional markers of adulthood, marriage, and parenthood, consistently contribute to a happier life.

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