I'm just sayin' ...

Call it a preemptive strike:

A baby's first smile, a toddler's first steps ... all the way through to seeing your child walking up the aisle.

These are the moments parents treasure -- but one social scientist says they give us an unduly rosy impression of raising a family.

Dr Nattavudh Powdthavee -- who does not have children himself -- is pouring cold water on the idea that being a parent makes you happier. "Social scientists have found almost zero association between having children and happiness," he said.

"In a recent study of British adults, for example, we found that parents and non-parents reported the same levels of life satisfaction."

The economist, from the University of York, believes he can explain why the benefits of parenthood have been repeatedly overstated.

He said most parents remember milestones like a first smile, and think these rewards more than compensate them for the challenging task of raising children.

But Dr Powdthavee claims that any small bursts of happiness are cancelled out by the day-to-day chores of having a family.

Note the irrelevant pointing out of Dr Powdthavee's lack of children. I don't recall ever reading an article about cancer research that included a similar inclusion, i.e. "Cancer specialist John Genius -- who does not have cancer himself -- has made a breakthrough discovery ..."