Single Parents Are Unhappier Than Coupled Parents
A new study investigated happiness in single parents.
Posted May 30, 2026 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods
While there is much psychological research on parenthood and happiness , most of these studies have focused on parents who raise their children as a couple. However, across the world, the number of single parents who raise their children alone has increased in recent years. This makes it highly important to consider this group systematically in psychological research on parenthood and happiness, especially as single parents face unique challenges. For example, single parents often show greater challenges when juggling work responsibilities and caring for their children.
A new large-scale study on happiness in single parents
A new study entitled “Happiness and Single Parenthood: A Literature Review Using an Online Findings Archive” was just published in the scientific Journal of Happiness Studies ( Elsas and co-workers, 2026 ). In the study, the research team, led by scientist Susanne Elsas from the German State Institute for Family Research at the University of Bamberg in Germany, systematically assessed research findings from the so-called World Database of Happiness. The World Database of Happiness is a freely available online archive in which the findings of research studies on happiness are organized in a uniform way and can be accessed by scientists. Overall, the scientists were able to identify 54 scientific publications that in some way included empirical data on the happiness of single parents. Overall, data from about 2.5 million individual volunteers were included in the dataset, making the results of this study robust and trustworthy due to the large sample size.
Results of the study: What did the scientists find out?
By analyzing this really big dataset, the scientist found several interesting insights into the happiness of single parents.
The main finding of the study was that there is strong evidence that single parents are, on average, less happy than parents who raise their children together. There were no differences between single mothers and single fathers. When comparing single parents to childless people, the results were more mixed, with several studies finding that single parents were happier than childless people.
There were some regional differences between studies. For example, in Scandinavia, single parents were less unhappy than in many other regions (80% happy single parents compared to only 50% in other parts of Europe).
Several factors were found to influence the extent of single parents’ unhappiness. Single parents who had access to childcare were happier than those who did not. Higher gender equality in a country also had a positive effect on the happiness of single mothers. Moreover, single parents who had a good social network and a job were happier than those who did not. In addition, single parents who found a new partner at some point after becoming a parent were happier than those who stayed single long-term. Last but not least, single parents with higher incomes are happier than those with high financial stress .
Taken together, the study shows that single parents are unhappier than couple parents, but that their income, the country they live in, access to childcare, having a job, having a good social network, and finding a new partner influence their happiness.
Elsas, S., Möhrle, T. & Veenhoven, R. Happiness and Single Parenthood: A Literature Review Using an Online Findings Archive. J Happiness Stud 27, 65 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-026-01030-6
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Sebastian Ocklenburg, Ph.D., is a professor for research methods in psychology at the Department of Psychology at MSH Medical School in Hamburg, Germany. His research focuses on left-handedness and brain asymmetries.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.