Sex Paper
Happiness
What is the source of my happiness? My two daughters (ages 3 and 1) are the source of my happiness. I can have the worst day of my life, but when I come home and see my children, I forget about my bad day. For me, my children are one of the sources of my happiness. So, do the rest of the society feel the same way as I do? Let’s find out.
According to my survey, people (married or single) with children are just as happy as people without children: 78% people of children reported being satisfied with their life, and 80% of people without children are also satisfied. Below is the chart. My survey is consistent with Pew Research Center, “People who have children are no happier than those who don’t” (4). Similarly, in a Newsweek article, “Having Kids Makes You Happy,” Lorraine Ali reports that the National Survey of Families and Households, which gathered data from 13,000 Americans, found that,
“No group of parents—married, single, step or even empty nest—reported significantly greater emotional well-being than people who never had children. It’s such a counterintuitive finding because we have these cultural beliefs that children are the key to happiness and a healthy life, and they’re not”. (1)
So far, the studies suggest that children are not the source of ones’ happiness. Nevertheless, the belief that children bring happiness is very much alive. I have met several other parents and grandparents that say that having children has increased the level of their happiness.
Furthermore, in a survey from the article, “The New Science of Happiness” by Claudia Wallis, when people were asked, what are your major sources of happiness, the number one response at 77% was “Your relationship with your children” (2). Additionally, when asked, what one thing in your life has brought you the greatest happiness, “children/grandchildren” was the number one response at 35% followed by “family” at a distant second place 17%. In Stumbling on Happiness written by Daniel
What is the source of my happiness? My two daughters (ages 3 and 1) are the source of my happiness. I can have the worst day of my life, but when I come home and see my children, I forget about my bad day. For me, my children are one of the sources of my happiness. So, do the rest of the society feel the same way as I do? Let’s find out.
According to my survey, people (married or single) with children are just as happy as people without children: 78% people of children reported being satisfied with their life, and 80% of people without children are also satisfied. Below is the chart. My survey is consistent with Pew Research Center, “People who have children are no happier than those who don’t” (4). Similarly, in a Newsweek article, “Having Kids Makes You Happy,” Lorraine Ali reports that the National Survey of Families and Households, which gathered data from 13,000 Americans, found that,
“No group of parents—married, single, step or even empty nest—reported significantly greater emotional well-being than people who never had children. It’s such a counterintuitive finding because we have these cultural beliefs that children are the key to happiness and a healthy life, and they’re not”. (1)
So far, the studies suggest that children are not the source of ones’ happiness. Nevertheless, the belief that children bring happiness is very much alive. I have met several other parents and grandparents that say that having children has increased the level of their happiness.
Furthermore, in a survey from the article, “The New Science of Happiness” by Claudia Wallis, when people were asked, what are your major sources of happiness, the number one response at 77% was “Your relationship with your children” (2). Additionally, when asked, what one thing in your life has brought you the greatest happiness, “children/grandchildren” was the number one response at 35% followed by “family” at a distant second place 17%. In Stumbling on Happiness written by Daniel
Cited: Ali, Lorraine. Having Kids Makes You Happy, Newsweek. Newsweek.com, 7-14 July. 2008. Web. 10 May. 2010. Gilbert, Daniel. Stumbling on Happiness, New York: Random House, 2006. Print. Shimoff, Marci. Happy for No Reason, New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2008. Print. PewResearch Center. Are We Happy Yet?, New York, 2006. Print. Wallis, Claudia. The New Science of HAPPINESS, Time Magazine. Time Inc, 2004. Print.