Mark_Friedenbach comments on Happiness and Children - Less Wrong

3 Post author: Carinthium 26 June 2014 07:36AM

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Comment author: Carinthium 27 June 2014 09:28:59AM 5 points [-]

I can believe that that's true for a significant portion of humanity- that they would choose to have children even knowing it would be bad for their happiness in the long run. It isn't true for me, though, and there are large numbers of people for whom it isn't (or else childlessness in the West wouldn't have risen so much).

Comment author: [deleted] 01 July 2014 04:31:02AM 2 points [-]

Having children fundamentally changes you, mentally. What may not have been a priority before, suddenly becomes a terminal value in itself once you bond with a little one. This is definitely something hard-wired into brains by evolution--ask any parent about their experience!

Comment author: tristanhaze 08 July 2014 03:42:45AM 0 points [-]

I think you're probably right about this (not based on first-hand experience of having a child, mind - I haven't), but I can't quite see what it's doing here. Is this meant to be some sort of objection to the comment you're replying to? It isn't obviously in tension with it.

Comment author: [deleted] 08 July 2014 02:04:51PM *  0 points [-]

I can believe that that's true for a significant portion of humanity

Just explaining why it is certainly true for the vast majority of people who actually have had children.