Is Parenthood Contributing to Emotional Wellbeing? The Neutrality Paradox and a Possible Resolution

Apostolou M.; Sullman M.; Błachnio A.; Burysek O.; Bushina E.; Calvo F.; Costello W.; Hill T.; Karageorgiou M.G.; Lisun Y.; Manrique-Millones D.; Manrique-Pino O.; Ohtsubo Y.; Przepiórka A.; Tekeş B.; Thomas A.; Wang Y.; Larsen M.; Font-Mayolas S. · Evolutionary Psychology (2026) · DOI: 10.1177/14747049261436325

Resumen

Evolutionary theorizing predicts that parenthood is associated with higher hedonic wellbeing (experiencing more positive and fewer negative emotions), higher eudaimonic wellbeing (experiencing greater meaning in life), and greater life satisfaction. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed a dataset comprising 5,556 participants drawn from 10 different nations. We found a small positive effect of parenthood on eudaimonic wellbeing, which was more pronounced for women. Conversely, we found virtually no differences between parents and nonparents across all measured dimensions of hedonic wellbeing and life satisfaction. Furthermore, for most dimensions, we did not detect significant interactions between parenthood status and sex, age, or relationship status. Additionally, participants with children reported lower relationship satisfaction than those without children; however, the observed difference was small. Our results contrast with evolutionary predictions, as well as empirical findings showing that parents perceive their children as sources of positive emotions and life purpose, creating a paradox for which we offer a possible resolution. © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Instituciones: Universidad Científica del Sur; Universidad Católica Sedes Sapientiae