52. Dr. Laura Buchinger on Life Satisfaction and The Kids or Childfree Choice

In this conversation, Keltie Maguire speaks with lifespan psychologist and post-doctoral researcher, Dr. Laura Buchinger, about her latest research on how parents versus childfree people fare in terms of well-being, mental health, and overall life satisfaction. Hear them discuss:

• What existing research tells us about how parents and non-parents fare at different stages of life and across various aspects of well-being.
• The gender differences in experiences of loneliness and social connections.
• Whether or not childfree people are lonelier than parents.
• How societal expectations about parenthood influence life decisions and experiences.
• How cultural perspectives that shape attitudes toward having children, and the shifting views of younger generations regarding the childfree choice.

About Laura: Laura Buchinger is a lifespan psychologist exploring how personality, motivation, health, and well-being evolve throughout life. After earning an undergraduate degree from Chemnitz University of Technology in 2013, she completed a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Freie Universität Berlin in 2016. Laura began her career as an organizational psychologist and consultant, focusing on occupational health and safety, before transitioning back to academia just before the pandemic. In 2023, she earned a PhD in Psychology from Freie Universität Berlin with a thesis titled "Life Goals Across Adulthood and Old Age: Associations With Personality and Well-Being." Laura is now a post-doctoral researcher in developmental psychology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Her research focuses on interindividual differences in personality traits, life goals, and values, and their effects on health and well-being across the lifespan As mentioned in the show: Find Laura on... Blue Sky at: @lbuchinger.bsky.social  LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-buchinger-b06359161/ You can connect with her via email at: [email protected] The studies mentioned in our conversation can be found below: Buchinger, L., Richter, D., & Heckhausen, J. (2022). The Development of Life Goals Across the Adult Life Span. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 77(5), 905–915. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbab154

Buchinger, L., Wahring, I. V., Ram, N., Hoppmann, C., Heckhausen, J., & Gerstorf, D. (2024). Kids or no Kids? Life Goals in one’s 20s Predict Midlife Trajectories of Well-Being. Psychology and Aging, 39(8), 897–914. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000862 Bauer, G., Brandt, M. & Kneip, T. The Role of Parenthood for Life Satisfaction of Older Women and Men in Europe. J Happiness Stud 24, 275–307 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00600-8

Graham, M. (2015). Is being childless detrimental to a woman's health and well-being across her life course?. Women's health issues, 25(2), 176-184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2014.12.002

Penning, M. J., Wu, Z., & Hou, F. (2024). Childlessness and social and emotional loneliness in middle and later life. Ageing & Society, 44(7), 1551-1578. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X22000824

Krämer, M. D., Van Scheppingen, M. A., Chopik, W. J., & Richter, D. (2023). The transition to grandparenthood: No consistent evidence for change in the Big Five personality traits and life satisfaction. European Journal of Personality, 37(5), 560–586. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070221118443

Stahnke, B., Cooley, M. E., & Blackstone, A. (2023). A Systematic Review of Life Satisfaction Experiences Among Childfree Adults. The Family Journal, 31(1), 60–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/10664807221104795 __ Check out our brand-new Confident Childfree Support Series: kidsorchildfree.com/confidently-childfree-support-series Check out our free resources here, or at kidsorchildfree.com/free-resources And don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review The Kids or Childfree Podcast if you love what you’re hearing! You can leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, or a rating on Spotify. Find us online at www.kidsorchildfree.com. Instagram: www.instagram.com/kidsorchildfree