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 offspring had left home and started making their own way in life. Researchers say this could be because raising children creates financial worry, stress, fatigue and anxiety.

我们很多人都相信有孩子是幸福和完美家庭生活的关键。当然，这种理想主义的形象对一些人来说是正确的，但研究人员说，实际上，孩子们在长大离开家后“飞巢”时最快乐。德国研究人员查看了一项对5.5万名生活在欧洲的50岁以上人群的调查数据。调查对象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孩子离开家，开始独立生活后，对生活更加满意。研究人员表示，这可能是因为抚养孩子会带来财务上的担忧、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 outweigh the negative aspects of parenthood." He added that maintaining family relationships may stave off loneliness in ageing parents.

这项研究由海德堡大学的Christoph Becker领导。他的结论是，当孩子离开家时，父母最开心的一个重要原因是形势逆转了，孩子们为父母提供了更多的支持。他说，孩子不和父母住在一起的父母患抑郁症的症状更少，对生活的态度也更积极。在谈到提供支持的角色转变时，贝克尔表示:“孩子作为照顾者、经济支持提供者或仅仅作为一种社交手段的角色，可能会超过为人父母的负面影响。”他补充说，维持家庭关系可能会延缓年迈父母的孤独感。