The Paradox of Happiness

You’d think having fewer responsibilities and thus, more free time, would lead to happiness.  Why doesn’t it?  Arthur Brooks: 

“Fatherhood, like motherhood, requires obvious economic and social sacrifices. But on the happiness balance sheet, the evidence supporting it is very strong: Fatherhood, for the average man, is a huge source of net well-being.  In one study published in the journal Psychological Science in 2012, researchers found that parents enjoyed higher levels of happiness, positive emotion, and meaning in life than nonparents—and this was especially true for fathers.”

Brooks thinks it’s kind of like “helper’s high.”  Happy Father’s Day!

Read More:  Arthur Brooks, The Atlantic