新奇事件簿 孩子离家后父母更快乐

Many of us believe that having children is the key to happiness and a perfect family life. Naturally, this idealistic image is true for some, but researchers say that in reality, children make us happiest when they fly the nest - when they have grown up and left home. Researchers in Germany looked at data from a survey of 55,000 over 50-year-olds living in Europe. The survey respondents were quizzed about their emotional wellbeing. The researchers discovered that most parents were happier with life after their offspring¹ had left home and started making their own way in life. Researchers say this could be because raising children creates financial worry, stress, fatigue² and anxiety.

很多人认为孩子是快乐完美家庭生活的关键。当然，这个理想的画面对一些人来说是真的，但研究人员表示，事实上，孩子长大离家才是家长最开心的时候。德国研究人员观察了一份来自55000名生活在欧洲的50岁以上人群的调查数据。受访者被问及他们的情绪健康状况。研究人员发现大多数父母在他们的子女离开家并开始独立生活后，对生活更加满意。研究人员表示这可能是因为养孩子造成了经济上的担忧、压力、疲劳和焦虑。

The research was led by Christoph Becker at Heidelberg University. He concluded that a big reason for parents being happiest when their children leave home is that the tables are turned and the children provide more support to their parents. He said parents whose children no longer live with them suffer from fewer symptoms of depression and have a more positive outlook on life. Regarding the role reversal in providing support, Mr Becker said: "Children's roles as caregivers, providers of financial support or simply as a means of social contact might outweigh³ the negative aspects of parenthood." He added that maintaining family relationships may stave off loneliness in ageing parents.

该研究由海德堡大学的克里斯托夫·贝克尔领导。他总结到，父母们在孩子独立生活后最开心的一个主要原因是形势逆转了，孩子们为父母提供了更多的支持。他表示不和孩子一起生活的父母们患抑郁症的症状更少，对生活的态度更积极。关于提供支持的角色转换，贝克尔表示：“孩子作为看护者、经济支持者或一种社会联系的手段的角色或许比亲子关系的负面影响更加有分量。”他补充道，维系家庭关系可能会延缓年迈父母的孤独感。

1 offspring   

n.子女，子孙，后代，（动物的）崽

参考例句：

• Jack is her only offspring.杰克是她唯一的后代。
• This device is the offspring of his inventive mind.这一装置是他那长于发明的头脑的产儿。

2 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

3 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。