marriage

Is the Global Population Decline Linked to Happiness Decline?

It is clearly documented that global population is tanking in most parts of the world. Could this decline be related to declining happiness, worldwide? There is interesting data indicating this could be the case.

In a recent article over at Public Discourse, professor Margarita Mooney Clayton, who teaches practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, asks “What are the social implications of a world with fewer children?” It is important to note that we are having fewer children, largely below replacement level, not because of any outside force discouraging us. We are doing so by choice. We are choosing not to marry in greater numbers and increasingly putting education and career before producing the next generation of humanity. This comes with certain substantial costs, namely a threatened human future and declining overall happiness.

Professor Clayton explains,

As it turns out, the freedom to pursue our self-interest without the constraints of marriage and children does not lead to happiness. On average … research shows married people with kids are happier than their single and childless counterparts.

Daily Citizen has documented the research showing this fact over the past few years here, here, and here. There are other research-based indicators that children lead to greater happiness. In the Gallup research group’s 2025 World Happiness Report, they have a whole chapter on how growing families foster greater happiness globally. Their scholars state, “Happiness is nurtured in relational spaces and the family is at the heart of these connections.” They note that “two-parent households are associated with higher levels of life satisfaction among adult members, while adults living in single-person and single-parent households tend to experience lower levels of happiness.”

Data from the 2022 edition of the General Social Survey – what the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) calls “the nation’s preeminent social barometer” – shows that “a combination of marriage and parenthood is linked to the biggest happiness dividends for women.”  Leading IFS scholars Brad Wilcox and Wendy Wang add, “Among married women with children between the ages of 18 and 55, 40% reported they are ‘very happy,’ compared to 25% of married childless women, and just 22% of unmarried childless women.”

The happiness differentials for U.S. married mothers looks like this.

The happiness differentials for married fathers are similarly positive.

Wilcox and Wang explain,

By contrast unmarried childless men, and especially unmarried fathers are the least happy – with less than 15% of these men saying they are “very happy.” In other words, married men (ages 18-55) in America are about twice as likely to be very happy, compared to their unmarried peers.

Professor Clayton correctly observes at Public Discourse,

Children easily pour love into anyone around them, instantly expanding our hearts. If we stop being around children, it’s no wonder the American heart is closing. 

She is absolutely correct, concluding “Happiness is not an achievement; it’s a gift. Children are a blessing.” As the IFS scholars summarize, “As difficult as marriage and parenthood can be, in general, men and women who have the benefit of a spouse and children are the most likely to report that they are ‘very happy’ with their lives.”

Say “Yes!” to having children … and enjoy greater overall happiness.

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Matt Walsh is Right: You Won’t Regret a Large Family

The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh isn’t the type of person you’d characterize as a syrupy, sentimental, Mister Rogers-inspired soul.

A conservative provocateur, the popular podcaster, filmmaker and author has forged a reputation for his straight-forward, no-nonsense style of engagement. Whether it’s hosting his daily show or the blockbuster documentaries, What is a Woman? or Am I Racist?, Walsh isn’t afraid of stepping on toes or offending leftist sensibilities.

Then there are the unflattering profiles of him by mainstream outlets eager to discredit and undermine him. In many ways, these only seem to add fuel to his fire. Walsh seems to even enjoy the unhinged attacks. Adding to his public persona as something of curmudgeon is his own sass and crankiness.

But nobody is one-dimensional, and Matt Walsh is a lot more than just a conservative media sensation.

Married to Alissa since 2011, Matt and his wife have six children. He shared some thoughts about them over the weekend – sentiment that threatens to jeopardize his reputation as a garrulous grump.

Here’s what he wrote on Facebook:

Having a large family is the best. I know it won’t surprise you to hear me say that, since I’m certainly biased with six of my own. But I can tell you firsthand that there’s nothing like coming home to a house full of energy, laughter, and love. It’s chaos, sure. But it’s the best kind of chaos.
Just the other day, I walked in to find my 5-year-old daughter sitting at the counter, coloring in one of her princess books. The second she saw me, she dropped everything, jumped off her stool, and ran into my arms. My 8-year-old was in the other room, completely absorbed in some grand action figure battle. My 11-year-old son was outside practicing with his bow and arrow, my daughter was upstairs reading, and my 2-year-old twins were zooming around the house on their plastic cars, absolutely destroying the floors—but I don’t care. The house was alive.
I’ve lived both ways—coming home to an empty house and coming home to a full one. And I can tell you, without a doubt, the second option is so much better. It’s not even close. There’s a kind of joy, purpose, and meaning that only family can bring. And that’s true whether you’re rich or not. Kids don’t take away from your life, they make your life. If you have kids, have more. If you don’t, get to work. You won’t regret it.

What a wonderfully refreshing testimony to fatherhood and family. It’s the polar opposite of those who advocate for childlessness. Many of these ignorant and confused radicals often making the downright ridiculous claim that large families will somehow harm and strain the environment.

The campaign for fewer children or no children at all is predicated on the vicious lie that boys and girls are burdens. In fact, they are blessings.

“Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward,” wrote the Psalmist. “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:3-5).

In a world that embraces so many falsehoods like the anti-natalist movement champions, we’re in desperate need of men and women to marry and then have as many children as the Lord gifts to them.

Reading Matt’s post over the weekend, I was reminded of the beautiful words from another conservative radio icon, Ronald Reagan:

“There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.”

Even better when those footsteps are those of a spouse and your many children.

Image credit: Matt Walsh

Katy Faust Fiercely Explains Why God’s Design for Family Matters

Katy Faust, founder and president of Them Before Us, sat down with Jordan Peterson on his show to talk about what family form serves children and humanity best and why. Faust, a Seattle mother of four and a pastor’s wife, explained to Dr. Peterson right off the bat, saying,

“I will just state right up front, I am a Bible-thumping, evangelical to the max. You want evangelical credentials, I got you.”

She then explains how she became a public instigator for the sake of children and the family. Faust told the world-famous psychology professor she is a grace-giver by temperament, but she learned how to become a bold truth-teller when she saw various political and ideological groups trying to redefine the family in order to serve radical adult desires.

Peterson explains “Katy comes down pretty hard on both the religious and biological side” of family, “arguing, and I think rightly so, that there isn’t an ideal that can replace long term, committed, monogamous, child-centered, heterosexual marriage.”

He added, “If you accept the doctrine that what is good for children is good for adults and for the state, then institutions that focus on the flourishing of children, those institutions have to be foundational and prioritized.” Of course, he is speaking of the first institution God created and prioritized: the family.

Watch Faust’s very strong defense of the natural family:

It is well worth watching in full. There are many things that are extremely helpful, encouraging and informative about this in-depth interview. But one of the most truly interesting is watching a very smart Chrisitan mom and pastor’s wife explain to one of the most influential intellectuals in the world why mothers and fathers, lifelong marriage and biology are essential to the family, children and society.

Viewers see these important realizations appear on Dr. Peterson’s face, in real time, as Faust explains some very basic human facts to him about God’s design for humanity and the family.

Kudos to Katy Faust for this masterful and instructive feat.

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Liberal Women are Sadder Than Conservatives: Less Faith, Fewer Marriages?

It is fairly well-documented in the academic literature that women suffer poorer mental health compared to men and this is generally true cross-culturally. It is also well documented that conservatives tend to have greater mental health and happiness compared to liberals. This gap has been demonstrated since the 1970s.

Additional research shows that girls who lean more left politically are experiencing plummeting levels of mental health. A new report, highlighted by the Institute for Family Studies (IFS), indicates this trend is not diminishing, but growing more stark.

It is tragic.

IFS explains “Young liberal women are markedly less satisfied with life than their conservative peers.”

  • 37% of conservative women report being “completely satisfied” with life.
  • 28% of moderates indicated this.
  • Only 12% of liberal women reported being completely satisfied.

This means young conservative women are just over three times more likely to feel very happy in their lives than their liberal peers. IFS adds, “Moreover, liberal women are two to three times more likely to report they are ‘not satisfied’ with their lives, compared to conservative women.”

Journalist Matthew Yglesias has an idea for what causes this disparity, saying, “One possible culprit for this widespread sadness is that social media apps are especially damaging to girls’ psychological health, a thesis long championed by Jonathan Haidt.”

But this does not fully explain the stark conservative/liberal divide. IFS thinks there is more to the story, explaining,

Given that we’re “social animals,” as Aristotle noted, we think different levels of “social integration” between liberal and conservative young women also may have a hand in the happiness divide between the two groups.

They explain how young conservative women are far more likely to be married and much less likely to be cohabiting. They are also far more likely, by almost five times, to be attending weekly church services.

Add to this, liberal women ages 18 to 40 are much more likely to report frequent feelings of loneliness and 29% report feeling this way many times a week. Only 11% of conservative women report this. Marriage and church boost social integration, which is an important mental and physical health factor.

The take-away here is that ideas have big consequences, as Richard Weaver famously put it. What we believe and what we practice in our lives matters for good and bad. All ideas are not created equal. Some led to better heath and contentment. Some create less happiness and feelings of loneliness.

IFS concludes “that any efforts to bridge this ideological gap in young women’s emotional well-being will seemingly require not only a change in thinking but also a renewal of young liberal women’s connection to America’s core institutions—family and faith.”

Related articles and resources:

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Four Things to Enhance Marital Happiness Among Wives

A recent study by the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institute reveals key factors that significantly enhance marital happiness among wives. The research indicates that four primary attributes in husbands – commitment, protectiveness, shared church attendance and regular date nights – lead to a much higher likelihood of wives reporting being “very happy” in their marriages.

Commitment

First, and perhaps not surprisingly, the study reveals that wives with committed husbands are 399% more likely to report being very happy in their marriages. This data point illustrates the importance of husbands demonstrating dedication to the marital relationship.

According to the report, four significant components of creating commitment in marriage are: a desire for a future together, the sense of being a team, prioritizing the relationship and sacrificing for one another. Commitment fosters trust and security in the marital relationship and is key to long-term satisfaction in marriage.

Protectiveness

Next, data indicates that wives are 137% more likely to report being very happy in their marriage if their husbands exhibit protective behaviors.

Researchers say this finding was an unexpected indicator of happiness. Protective was listed among other personal traits, including ambition, confidence, physical strength, being a good provider, being respectful, attractive, loving and sexually responsive.

Researchers believe that the term “protective” refers not only to a wife’s sense of physical safety but also to the sense of protection surrounding the relationship demonstrated through loyalty, faithfulness and fidelity. In a broad sense, protection reassures wives that their husbands are protective of the marital relationship, which leads to stability and happiness for wives.

Shared Church Attendance

Third, the study indicates that wives who attend church regularly with their husbands have a 112% higher chance of being very happy in their marriages.

Shared religious beliefs and practices provide couples with a common framework of values, which increases marital stability and a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. Religious engagement also promotes virtues like forgiveness, compassion and love, which are very beneficial to the long-term health of marriages.

The study declares, “More often than not, the couple that prays together flourishes together.”

Researchers point out that marriage and family are a significant part of religious devotion in almost all world religions. Religion encourages prioritizing family and commitment in marriage, which are vital to healthy families and marriages.

In addition, the study suggests that shared religious activities help wives and husbands manage stress, deal with relationship challenges and positively focus on shared future hopes.

Regular Date Nights

Finally, the data indicates that wives who reported having regular date nights with their husbands were 56% more likely to be happily married. Interestingly, wives who reported regular date nights were 84% more likely to report feeling stability in their marriages.

Researchers suggest that the link between date night frequency and the feeling of stability in marriage reveals that date nights are one way women determine the quality of their marriage.

In addition, the report demonstrates that regular date nights lead to better communication, more commitment and greater sexual satisfaction.  

Checklist for Marital Happiness

So, if you are a husband looking to enhance your wife’s marital happiness and create a more fulfilling and stable relationship, consider incorporating these attributes into your marital life daily.

  • Demonstrate Unwavering Commitment: Prioritize the marriage and actively work through challenges together.
  • Be Protective: Offer support and reassurance, stand by your wife in times of need and faithfully protect your marital relationship.
  • Attend Church Together Regularly: Go to church with your wife and family, build a set of shared values and pray together.
  • Make Date Nights a Priority: Plan regular date nights and keep romance alive.

By embracing these behaviors, husbands can take the lead in building healthy and strong marriages.

Image from Shutterstock.