Playing with kids = Less happy adults

A childfree BNOB fan named Sarah sent me a link to this excellent article on CNN.com about happiness. As noted previously on this blog, when parents claim they're happier with kids, they're not telling the whole truth.

Our genes hardwire us to reproduce, but children have a small negative effect on happiness, research shows. If you're a parent reading this, you're most likely shaking your head. But Gilbert said the findings are clear when parents are asked about their level of happiness in the moment.

"When you follow people throughout their days, as they're going about their normal activities, people are about as happy interacting with their children, on average, as when they're doing housework. They're much less happy than when they're exercising, sleeping, grocery shopping, hanging out with friends," Gilbert said. "Now, that doesn't mean they don't occasionally create these transcendent moments of joy that we remember as filling our days with happiness."

Thanks, Sarah!

[LINK]