Marriage makes make people 20 times happier than money, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Marriage is also 13 times more important to a person’s sense of wellbeing than owning a home. People with children, meanwhile, feel that their lives are more “worthwhile”, although they do not feel any happier than the childless.
The ONS analysed results from a survey of 165,000 people, the Telegraph reports. Participants were asked to rate their life in four areas: how satisfied they felt, how worthwhile they felt their life was, how happy they were and how anxious.
Marriage or a civil partnership was the third most important influence on a person’s sense of wellbeing, behind health and employment.
Married people also rated themselves happier than cohabiting, single or divorced people.
Report co-author Dawn Snape said:
“[Marriage] gives people a sense of stability, and a greater sense that their life is worthwhile. I think that the issue with children is that we probably all recognise the saying ‘you are only as happy as your unhappiest child’. Parents have a responsibility and that in itself can add to the perceived burden.”
I’d like to see the data this claim is based on, most marriages are to begin with very happy, but I don’t have any male friends that are ‘very happy’ when they have been married for 15 years. I don’t know about the women.