Sorry, Parents: Childless Couples Say They're Happier Together

Yet another study suggests that yes, there’s a good chance the decision to have kids is going to put some strain on your marriage. Shocker! No matter how cute, they’re still howling, demanding third wheels.

That’s according to the Telegraph, reporting on the results of a survey of 5,000 people across the U.K. by London’s Open University. The paper says the childless reported happier marriages: “People without children are more satisfied with their relationships and more likely to feel valued by their partner than couples with children.”

However: Mothers were the happiest group, and women without children came last. Dads, on the other hand, were just a little less happy than men without kids. I’d bet that’s due in no small way to the social messaging around what should make us happy. Maybe women without children are just sick of being questioned, criticized and concern-trolled.

But do people really have kids because they think it’s going to make them “happy”? It’s not like it’s a secret that children are basically an expensive way to give yourself white hair and stress-induced ulcers, and it can’t be that everyone’s simply blinded by the Baby Gap cuteness when they decide to breed.

Plus, the Telegraph notes that those without children “did significantly more to ‘maintain’ their relationship, such as taking time to go out together or talk, than those with children,” which seems like the real problem, not the kids. So if you’re looking for a birthday present for a parent in your life, it’d be hard to go wrong with a babysitter.