Survey: Kids Bring Great Happiness — And Lots Of Stress

The Daily Meal Staff|

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Here's something we'll bet you already knew: Children bring great joy...but also great stress.

Now, a new Gallup poll reflects that sentiment in numbers.

While adults with children under 18 were more likely to say they smiled or laughed on any given day (84.1% to 79.6%), they were also more likely to say they have a lot of stress at home. Forty-five percent of those with kids under 18 reported being stressed, while just 36% of those without children said the same.

What's interesting, though, is that both sexes in households with children reported about the same daily emotional experiences. While women reported being more stressed overall than men, the difference in stress rates between houses with children and houses without kids were about the same for either gender. The same held true for smiling and laughter.

According to Gallup, the results are based on a survey conducted over the phone with more than 130,000 adults across the country.

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