According to a study in the journal Demography, the Washington Post reports that new parents express a steeper loss of happiness than such catastrophic life events as divorce, unemployment or death of a partner.

Instead of being asked directly about their new child, parents were asked the more innocuous, “How satisfied are you with your life, all things considered?” That’s because it’s taboo for parents to say negative things about their child, the researchers wrote.

Having their first child impacted people more negatively than other scenarios,according to the findings.

While 30 percent of respondents said their level of happiness did not change, the remainder said it decreased in the first and second year after the baby’s birth.

The consequence, the study concludes, is that many stop having children after their first as a result of their negative experience — particularly older parents with higher education.

Via Rawstory