![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Group-37-2.png)
![](https://breakpoint.org./wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Copy-of-BP-Picture-19.png)
Studies Show Parents Are Less Lonely and Experience More Meaning
If we believe modern conventional wisdom, we might be convinced that parenthood is a one-way ticket to unhappiness.
08/3/23
John Stonestreet Kasey Leander
![](https://www.breakpoint.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Group-94-1.png)
If all we had to go on was Salon, Slate, or The Atlantic magazines, we’d be forced to conclude that becoming a parent is a life sentence of loneliness. Though studies do demonstrate a loss in certain forms of happiness for parents, according to Brad Wilcox of the Institute for Family Studies, that conclusion “no longer fits the data.”
Nearly 60% of childless men and women say they are lonely some, most, or all the time while only 45% of those with children report the same. Likewise, “82% of parents say they are ‘very happy’ or ‘pretty happy’ compared to just 68% of the childless.”
Some of the shift likely has to do with how the pandemic disrupted social life, which families were partially insulated against. Another factor is likely America’s improved work-life balance.
More important is how happiness is defined. Kids can create stress like nothing else, but they are also a source of joy and meaning.
Have a Follow-up Question?
Up
Next
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Group-91-1.png)
Related Content
![](https://breakpoint.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Breakpoint_Logo-Primary-White.png)
© Copyright 2020, All Rights Reserved.
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Image-2@2x-1.png)
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Image-1@2x-1.png)
![](https://breakpoint.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/candid-seal-silver-2023.png)
![](https://breakpoint.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/four-star-rating-badge-1-1.png)