kid you gotta get a gimmick's Tumblelog

In Daniel Gilbert’s 2006 book “Stumbling on Happiness,” the Harvard professor of psychology looks at several studies and concludes that marital satisfaction decreases dramatically after the birth of the first child—and increases only when the last child has left home. He also ascertains that parents are happier grocery shopping and even sleeping than spending time with their kids. Other data cited by 2008’s “Gross National Happiness” author, Arthur C. Brooks, finds that parents are about 7 percentage points less likely to report being happy than the childless.

Does Having Children Make You Happy? | Newsweek Global Literacy | Newsweek.com

(via instapaper)

(via peterwknox)

I heard Daniel Gilbert on Stephen Colbert promoting this book and he compared it to the light in the refrigerator - (I think I have this right), basically your kids make you happy when you think generally about your happiness, but most of the time you aren’t thinking about. You’re more focused on the that particular day and all it’s stress. Reading the rest of his book it makes a lot of sense, because how we feel that particular day influences how we feel about our general level of happiness.

Also is anyone surprised that parents would be happier sleeping than spending time with kids? Kids are tiring, most parents don’t sleep enough.