The happiest adults when spending time with children: Research Institute for Family Research

American adults see time spent with children as a stronger source of happiness and meaning, according to an analysis of a recent study.

The Family Research Institute recently published an analysis for the 2021 American Time Use Survey. This study examined the well-being ratings of US adults between the ages 25 and 50, particularly when participating in activities with children.

According to IFS researcher Ken Burchel, “56% of active time is the highest meaning rating when children are present, but only 37% of time spent with other individuals are more likely to allocate a higher level of happiness than the time spent on activities with children (25%).”

74% of active time received the highest possible rating for “low pain” when the child was present, while 67% of active time spent with others received the highest rating for “low pain”. The same phenomenon exists in activities that have been rated the highest possible rate for “low sadness,” with 83% of the time spent on children with that rated compared to just 70% of the time spent with others.

Almost half of the time spent with children (48%) received the highest rating for “low stress,” but only 36% of the time spent with others. 25% of the time spent with children were rated as high as possible due to “low fatigue” compared to 21% of the time spent with others.

Burchfiel also placed activity times in five separate categories, and found that in all but one case, activities that fit that category are considered more enjoyable when children are present. When I had children, I received the highest possible happiness rating by eating and drinking at 47%, but when I had others, only 36% of that time received the highest possible happiness rating.

Almost half (46%) of the time socialised, relaxed and involved in other leisure activities received the highest possible happiness level when they had children, while one-third (32%) of the time spent in the same activities as others received the highest happiness rating. Forty-one percent of travelling with children received the highest possible happiness, compared to only 32% of travelling with others.

Burchfiel found that 35% of the time spent on home activities received the highest possible happiness rating, compared to 21% of the time spent on home activities with others. When it came to the time spent on consumer purchases, they received a happiness rating (40%), which could be higher than time spent with other people (38%) than time spent with children.

Burchfiel discovered that people viewed the time spent on all five categories of activities as more meaningful when they were with their kids than when they were with others. We received a higher probability of a higher time spent traveling with our kids than the time spent traveling with others (33%). The time spent eating and drinking with children received a higher meaningful rating (57%) than the time spent eating and drinking with others (41%).

The time spent on consumer purchases received a higher meaning rating (52%) when compared to when others were around (28%). Half of the time was engaged in social, relaxation and leisure activities (50%) received the highest possible meaning ratings when children were present, while only 33% of the time engaged in such activities with others received the highest possible meaning ratings.

48% of the time spent on home activities with children received the highest possible meaning rating, compared to 34% of the time spent in home activities with others.

Looking at all the time he spent with his own children, he found that Burchfiel achieved the highest happiness level in 44% of the time and received the highest meaningful rating in 56% of the time.

In contrast, only 37% of time spent with a spouse received the highest level of happiness, and 43% of time spent with a spouse received the highest possible meaning rating. Even stocks with little time spent alone received ratings of the best possible happiness (19%) and meaning (29%).

Burchfiel also found that nearly half of the time spent with both spouses and children (48%) received the highest possible happiness rating compared to 40% of the time spent with their children and 26% of the time spent with their spouses, not their spouses. Only 25% of the time spent with “someone else” received the highest happiness rating.

In some of his analysis, Burkfiel, who did not focus solely on time with children, found that 65% of the time spent caring for and supporting others in the household received the best score for significance, whereas 45% of such times received the best score for happiness.

Time to eat and drink (41%), home activities (37%), travel (36%), work or related activities (33%) (33%), and engage in socialization, relaxation, or leisure (32%), received the highest possible meaning score.

Even lower percentage of time (36%) (36%), socialized, relaxed, traveled in leisure time (32%), engaged in travel (27%), family activities (25%), engaged in work or related activities (16%), and received the highest happiness score.