One child is enough: The social pressure to have a bigger family, Will having another kid really make you happy? Your first child brought you joy, so will having another bring you even more joy? This is something I often ponder. Is it advisable for me to have a second child?
Fortunately, research has shown how our lives alter when we have another child. Learn how having a second child impacts your happiness, purpose in life, marriage, family life, old age, health, and expenditure.
One child is enough: The social pressure to have a bigger family
Women are happiest when they have only one child.
Women who have only one kid tend to be the happiest. At the very least, having one child is preferable to having no children at all. However, it’s possible that “only” is the sweet spot.
One research looked at identical twins between the ages of 25 and 45. Researchers could overlook genetic reasons for having fewer children or being sad by comparing twins.
They discovered that a woman’s first kid made her happier. However, each successive kid had a detrimental impact on her happiness.
Could it be that having an only kid allows us to appreciate the wonders of motherhood while minimising the hard work and stress?
Another research investigated how a woman’s personality influenced her satisfaction as her family grew.
Is it true that “traditional” women are happier with two children than “modern” women? They don’t appear to do so. These ladies, regardless of their personality types, were happiest when they had one kid. All women’s well-being scores dropped after having a second child.
No matter what your expectations are, balancing the demands of numerous children is difficult. Women, on the other hand, frequently assume more parental duties. Is it possible that having another child will make a guy happier?
Men also benefit from having one child rather than two.
With their first kid, men, too, experience a rise in happiness. Fathers with one kid reported feeling more fulfilled in life than fathers without children. The second kid, on the other hand, simply added to the satisfaction of “traditional” males. Men who were designated as “modern” did not receive any benefits.
With the birth of another kid, do “modern” fathers take up more diapers and dishes? Or it’s possible that traditional guys simply like parenthood more.
On the other side, scientists studying identical twins also looked at their dads. They discovered that having children had little impact on their happiness.
Regardless matter how many children they had, their life happiness remained consistent. Only marriage improved men’s well-being when it came to family life.
It’s possible that children have a lower impact on men’s happiness than on women’s. If this is the case, women may have more to gain or lose emotionally by having another child.
Another research looked at characteristics including marital status and age. They discovered that whether a man or a woman had one or two children had no effect on their satisfaction. However, this study discovered that having three or more children had a detrimental impact on happiness.
However, life is much more than simply enjoyment. The times we genuinely appreciate are frequently difficult.
Consider tackling a difficult problem, competing in a sporting event, or, say, raising your first child. Stress might appear to give one’s life more purpose at times. Is it possible for another youngster to do the same?
There are certain advantages to having a second child.
Parents have a greater sense of purpose in their life than non-parents. Adults were compared in terms of life satisfaction and purpose.
They discovered that having children at home lowered a person’s happiness. However, it improved their sense of significance at the same time. In comparison to those who had never had children, parents had higher levels of happiness and purpose after their children had grown up and gone away.
Although this study did not compare having one vs two children, it is likely that having a second child might provide even more purpose to one’s life.
This may be the case with a Russian study that contradicts all prior research findings. Researchers followed families for 20 years and discovered that following the birth of their second child, parents were really happier.
Life satisfaction fell for several years after the birth of their first kid, then soared to previously unheard-of heights. A second child, on the other hand, progressively improved happiness. After the second child, life satisfaction remained constant, and happiness rose as they grew older.
In Russia, life happiness may be more strongly linked to sentiments of significance. Perhaps family life in Russia is better supported than in the other cultures surveyed.
This isn’t the only research to find that having more than one kid improves happiness.
Read also: I regret having kids: Tips for Moving Forward
Read also: Think having children will make you happy?
