Decades of data suggest parenthood makes people unhappy

Decades of studies have shown parents to be less happy than their childless peers. But are the kids to blame?

  • Folk knowledge assumes having children is the key to living a happy, meaningful life; however, empirical evidence suggests nonparents are the more cheery bunch.
  • The difference is most pronounced in countries like the United States. In countries that support pro-family policies, parents can be just as happy as their child-free peers.
  • These findings suggest that we can't rely on folk knowledge to make decisions about parenting, on either the individual or societal levels.
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11 Esther Perel quotes that set the record straight on love and sex

The Belgian psychotherapist has a lot to teach us.

  • The idea of the "one" sets us up for unrealistic expectations.
  • Communication relies on honest conversation and plenty of listening.
  • Change yourself, Perel writes, don't try to change your partner.
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Smart dress groped 157 times in under 4 hours

Technology proves what women know and men may not want to hear

  • Schweppes commissioned research into how often women are touched by strangers
  • A sensor-equipped dress designed by Ogilvy captured the party experience of three women
  • The experiment confirms for men what women have known all along
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How sexual fantasies affect your relationship

There are two main types of sexual fantasies. One, however, is more destructive than the other.

Sex & Relationships
  • There are two main types of sexual fantasies.
  • One of them is more harmful to the a relationship or marriage than the other (by a lot).
  • Sexually fantasizing about somebody else, though, neither hurts a relationship nor helps it; instead, it has the same mental impact as random daydreaming.
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Ruth Whippman—a mindful, productive, super-positive nation of nervous wrecks

With the help of positive psychology and the happiness industry, many of us seem to be running in the exact opposite direction of happiness.

Think Again Podcasts
  • "It's almost like the only way we can understand leisure is as a productivity hack."
  • "If we think of happiness as an individual responsibility, that stands in the way of building a society in which the conditions are there for everybody to thrive."
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Should sex with a robot be considered cheating?

A study out of Finland shows us that sex is sex and robots are robots, and the overlap is confusing.

Photo by Charles Deluvio 🇵🇭🇨🇦 on Unsplash
Sex & Relationships
  • A new study from Finland suggests that people view sex with a robot more kindly than they view sex with a human prostitute.
  • The effect is maintained even when the customer is married.
  • While the exact causes of these opinions remain unknown, several proposals have been made. They may well serve as ethical guides going forward.
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