Selfish reasons to have more kids
by Bryan Caplan · first published 2011
75% recommend25% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short, readable argument that twin and adoption studies show parenting style matters less than people fear, so parents can relax, enjoy kids more, and consider having another; suits stressed or undecided parents.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Contrarian economist Bryan Caplan takes on family planning and happiness--and turns conventional wisdom on its head.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2015–2019All Joy and No Fun
Jennifer Senior
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 44 recommend · 4 mention4 recommend · 44 recommend
2018–2026The gardener and the carpenter
Alison Gopnik
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 42 recommend · 4 mention2 recommend · 42 recommend
2019–2025Cribsheet
Emily Oster
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 139 recommend · 13 mention9 recommend · 139 recommend
2008–2024Unconditional Parenting
Alfie Kohn
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 1311 recommend · 13 mention11 recommend · 1311 recommend
2010–2025Nurtureshock
Po Bronson, Ashley Merryman
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 117 recommend · 11 mention7 recommend · 117 recommend
2013–2026Free to Learn
Gray, Peter
Recommended by 18 · mentioned by 2118 recommend · 21 mention18 recommend · 2118 recommend
2007–2026The Myth of the Rational Voter
Bryan Caplan
Recommended by 16 · mentioned by 2216 recommend · 22 mention16 recommend · 2216 recommend
2007–2024The Blank Slate
Steven Pinker
Recommended by 42 · mentioned by 7742 recommend · 77 mention42 recommend · 7742 recommend
…invaluable, like when you have a specific problem that's impacting you/your child's life, and you need to find a solution. In terms of long-term parenting philosophies, though, I'd strongly suggest reading Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids by Bryan Caplan: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OA64Q6/ It's a book length treatment of the fact that twin studies have demonstrated extremely convincingly that as long as you meet a pretty low bar for…
on “Ask HN: Any good collaboratively built documentation on good parenting?” ↗…which helped condemn millions to death in Europe. Bryan Caplan makes the case for open borders here: http://openborders.info/bryan-caplan/ . Separately, his books, The Myth of the Rational Voter and Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids, are both great, and full of brilliantly contrarian thinking.
on “Immigration is about talent, not costs” ↗Bryan Caplan’s Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids is worth a read for anyone who is taking parenting too seriously. Developmental psychologists have brainwashed the public into thinking children can be ruined by insufficiency dedicated parenting. But…
on “When the Culture War Comes For the kids” ↗There are a variety of studies on genetic correlations of behavioral traits, based on twin and adoption studies, and they do suggest genetic links. Read Bryan Caplan's "Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids" for a good overview (his intellectual goal is a completely different topic). Indeed to the extent that there are lots of people walking around with an unsubstantiated notion that immigrants are genetically…
on “The Gangster's Guide to Upward Mobility” ↗Read Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids, Bryan Caplan. Most people are glad to have been born, most parents raise happy, healthy children in the industrialized world and in substantial parts of the world outside it, most children would rather…
on “The perils of short-termism” ↗I recommend a book called "Selfish Reasons To Have More Kids" by Bryan Caplan. It's a short read, and very interesting. The basic argument is that we've turned modern parenting into a stressful chore, much as you describe. But by looking at separated twin studies,…
on “Ask HN: Is This Parenting or Scrum?” ↗…RIE Philosophy (see https://www.janetlansbury.com), especially useful before age 3 * Ryan Holiday's "The Daily Dad" e-mail list (now also a book) * "Simplicity Parenting" by Kim Payne and Lisa Ross * "Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids" by Bryan Caplan didn't have much specifically useful advice, but basically taught me to just relax and have fun as a parent, and not worry that I am messing everything up * The "Outdoor Boys" Youtube…
on “Tell HN: The regret of parenting and how to handle it” ↗They've figured that out too. Behold, economist Bryan Caplan's book "Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids": http://www.amazon.com/Selfish-Reasons-Have-More-Kids/dp/0465...
on “Why Would Anyone Want To Host The Olympics?” ↗Bryan Caplan is the author of The Myth of the Rational Voter (2007) Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids (2011) both of which are worth reading.
on “Seven Guidelines for Writing Worthy Works of Non-Fiction” ↗This could be effectively read in tandem with Bryan Caplan's book Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: http://www.amazon.com/Selfish-Reasons-Have-More-Kids/dp/0465...
on “Demography Is Rewriting Our Economic Destiny” ↗…or other factors, and there's a whole realm of twin and adoption studies on how much life outcomes are due to shared environment versus inheritance. Bryan Caplan has a good summary of this in the book Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids (p. 53-58), but it mostly favors the inheritance-based view over the cultural one (admittedly contradicting my original assertion), and so certainly isn't going to be more friendly towards your view of…
on “U.S.A., Land of Limitations?” ↗…startups) have somewhat crappy day-to-day moments but high long-term satisfaction. And many short-term satisfactions (like eating ice cream) may have negative long-term consequences. Bryan Caplan's book Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think is also good on these topics, and he points out that much of the supposed happiness research is overblown or misused.
on “Research suggests many US parents will lie when saying kids made them happier” ↗Bryan Caplan wrote an interesting book, Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids, that is also germane to this topic (https://www.amazon.com/Selfish-Reasons-Have-More-Kids/dp/046...).
on “The Rebirth of Pro-Natalist Public Policy in America” ↗The book "Selfish reasons to have more kids" by Bryan Caplan is a good antidote to this attitude
on “The Relentlessness of Modern Parenting” ↗This is the whole thesis of the (very good) book by Bryan Caplan, "Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids."
on “How to parent more predictably (2018)” ↗