Parenthood & Well-Being
For years, scholarly and media accounts painted a dismal picture of parenting. Our work, however, suggests that happiness and parenthood can indeed coexist, but also that the link between parenthood and well-being is incredibly complex. Some groups of parents report relatively high well-being (e.g., fathers, those who are married), and some report relatively low well-being (e.g., those with an insecure attachment).
We propose that parenthood is associated with greater well-being to the extent that it provides opportunities to pursue meaningful goals and enhanced life purpose, greater fulfillment of human needs, more positive emotions, and enhanced social roles. By contrast, we propose that parenthood is associated with lower well-being when it leads to subsequently greater negative emotions, financial stress, sleep disturbance and fatigue, and strained partner relationships.
Selected Publications:
We propose that parenthood is associated with greater well-being to the extent that it provides opportunities to pursue meaningful goals and enhanced life purpose, greater fulfillment of human needs, more positive emotions, and enhanced social roles. By contrast, we propose that parenthood is associated with lower well-being when it leads to subsequently greater negative emotions, financial stress, sleep disturbance and fatigue, and strained partner relationships.
Selected Publications:
- Nelson, S. K., Kushlev, K., English, T., Dunn, E. W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). In defense of parenthood: Children are associated with more joy than misery. Psychological Science, 24, 3-10. <pdf>
- Nelson, S. K., Kushlev, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). The pains and pleasures of parenthood: When, why, and how is parenthood associated with more or less well-being? Psychological Bulletin, 140, 846-895. <pdf>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Killingsworth, Layous, K., Cole, S. W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2019). Parenthood is associated with greater well-being for fathers than mothers. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45, 1378-1390. <pdf>
Relationship Promoting Behaviors
Close relationships are vital to human flourishing. My research explores the causal effects of simple, intentional actions--such as being kind or expressing gratitude--on personal well-being. In several longitudinal experiments, We have studied how and why expressing gratitude and being kind to others leads to well-being improvements. We are also investigating how engaging in relationship promoting behaviors improve subjective well-being, but also how they might trigger downstream benefits for physical health, parent-child relationships, and family thriving.
Selected Publications:
Selected Publications:
- Nelson, S. K., Layous, K., Cole, S. W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2016). Do unto others or treat yourself? The effects of prosocial and self-focused behavior on psychological flourishing. Emotion. <pdf>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Fritz, M., Lyubomirsky, S., & Cole, S. W. (2017). Kindness in the blood: A randomized controlled tiral of the gene regulatory impact of prosocial behavior. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 81, 8-13. <pdf>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Johnson, C. E., & Coffey, J. K. (in press). Safe haven gratitude improves emotions, well-being, and parenting outcomes among parents with high levels of attachment insecurity. The Journal of Positive Psychology. <pdf>