Happiness begets children? Evidence for a bi-directional link between well-being and number of children

• Autores: Jinhyung Kim, Joshua A. Hicks
• Localización: Journal of Positive Psychology, ISSN-e 1743-9779, Vol. 11, Nº. 1, 2016, págs. 62-69
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The purpose of the current research was to examine the association between different facets of well-being and parenthood status. Specifically, using two longitudinal data sets, the present research explored whether individuals who possess high cognitive (Studies 1 & 2), emotional, and psychological well-being (Study 2) are more likely to subsequently become parents compared to their less happy counterparts. The results of both studies demonstrated that well-being at Time 1 positively predicted number of children at Time 2, controlling for a number of relevant variables (e.g. income, age). Additional analyses revealed that the relationship between cognitive well-being and subsequently having children was particularly strong for people who did not have any children previously. Potential mechanisms explaining how and why well-being may influence parenthood are discussed