While this study is limited in scope, it does have some basic explanatory power why some people have gotten downright hostile with me regarding my distaste at the very idea of having kids. Like many studies, it is a good stepping stone to get a better idea of social attitudes. It is also reflective of some (though not all) of my personal experiences with breeders.

I have known some people with children who are envious of people who didn't have children. I believe there are more people who feel this way than will admit it.

I wouldn't give much weight to the study... only 197 undergraduate psychology students? Not very representative of the population in general. Just clickbait.

I knew I didn't want kids as a teenager in the 60's. Hated babysitting. But shit happens, and you recalibrate! As tough as it was for me, I wouldn't change it now if I could.

It's an individual choice to have children or not and is no one else's goddammed business but those two people!

My first wife was pressuring me to start our family and I remember that while at the time I wasn't actively opposed to the idea I was in no hurry whatsoever compared to her. Particularly since we were all of 21 years old!

But not having children at all, ever, was not even something I considered, it was more a matter of not being in such a goddamn hurry. Knowing what I know now, that would have been on the table, though, and in fact, I would rather have flown solo for lack of finding a like-minded partner, than to have children.

But back in 1979 that just wasn't something I could even frame my thinking with. Getting married was what one did, much less having children. It was, as this study suggests, some sort of moral imperative, particularly in the fundagelical world. Even though my parents never gave me a whiff of "when are you giving us grandchildren?" (which was VERY common), I did not feel I had a real choice.

For evangelicals, there's the "be fruitful, and multiply" mandate; having children is considered a great blessing from god ("children are a heritage from the Lord ... like arrows in the hands of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is he who fills his quiver with them" ). In retrospect I think it was a stopgap against their inability to grow the movement with intelligent inducements, they were trying to reproduce their way out of the problem that no one in their right mind would want to join.

Having children is a personal decision and people should mind their own business..

Bravo well said.