Children increase the life satisfaction in case of the married couples. Most people consider their children as the most important thing in their lives. One is tempted to advance that children make people better off under the ‘right conditions’ – a time in life when people feel that they are ready, or at least willing, to enter parenthood. This time can come at very different moments for different individuals, but a likely signal of its approach may well be the act of marriage.

	This time can come at very different moments for different individuals.

The bad news is that raising children has little or no positive effect for unmarried couples.

Dr Luis Angeles, of the University of Glasgow conducted this study. The study has been published online in Springer’s Journal of Happiness Studies.