According to Britain's national happiness survey, having children brings an increased sense of meaning into people's lives, the Daily Mail reported.

The latest measure of the country's well-being Thursday revealed that having children does not necessarily make people happier or more satisfied with their lot. But it does make them feel they have more of a reason for living.

The survey, carried out among 80,000 people, asked four questions: how satisfied they were with their lives, to what extent their lives were worthwhile, how happy they were yesterday, and how anxious they felt yesterday.

It was conducted by the Office for National Statistics.

The researchers also acknowledged for the first time that the figures show that married people are happier than everyone else, and that the most miserable are those who are divorced or separated.

"People who are married or in civil partnerships reported the highest average levels of life satisfaction, significantly higher than cohabiting couples. The lowest average rating was reported by people who are divorced or separated, including those who have dissolved civil partnerships," the report said.

(China.org.cn April 29, 2012)

《每日邮报》报道，英国的全国幸福感调查显示，养孩子可使人们感到生活更有意义。

这项最新的调查显示，养孩子不一定能让人们更幸福，对自己的生活更加满意，却能使他们感到生活更有意义。

有8万人参与了该调查。他们被问的4个问题包括：对生活的满意度如何、生活的意义有多大、昨天有多幸福以及昨天有多焦虑。

调查由国家统计局负责。

研究人员还首次承认，他们的数据显示，结婚的人比其他任何人更幸福，而最痛苦的是离异或分手的人。

报告说：“结婚或有民事伴侣关系的人平均满意度水平最高，比同居的伴侣要高很多。离异或分手的平均打分则最低，包括终止民事伴侣关系的人。”