<p>There are many reasons why people want to have children :</p>

<ul>
<li>Some want to have children because they hope it can save their declining marriage / relationship</li>
<li>Some want to have children because they feel instinctively driven towards it</li>
<li>Some want to have children because they feel they're supposed to</li>
<li>Some want to have children because they feel they're missing "something" in their lives</li>
<li>Some want to have children because they want to learn more about themselves</li>
<li>Some want to have children because they want to learn more about the man or woman they love</li>
<li>...</li>
</ul>

<p>Still, I believe most reasons why people want to have children are perfectly captured by this single quote :</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Nevertheless, if you ask me, most people have children just as their
  own enthusiasm about life begins to wane. A child allows us to revisit
  the excitement we once felt about, well... everything. A generation
  later, our grandkids bump up our enthusiasm yet again. Reproducing is
  a kind of booster shot to keep us loving life.</p>
  
  <p>― Chuck Palahniuk, <em>Damned</em></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-28T19:40:28.483Z
Cool post/answer. I want even more reasons (the ...). Thanks.
Jack Maddington
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-02T21:56:10.110Z
@JackMaddington Stack Exchange (SE) is not intended to poll opinions on certain topics from users (and definitely not Cognitive Sciences). This only constitutes an answer in pointing out that the answer is 'primarily opinion based'; a close reason for questions on SE.
Steven Jeuris
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-03T08:10:34.323Z
@StevenJeuris : I don't see how this is more opinion based than `why is the sky blue?` or `How does the brain process sensory input?`. The OP isn't asking for anyone's personal opinion but for a general, broader understanding of what drives members of the human species to reproduce themselves. I don't see how that's anything but perfectly on topic here. Are you really saying that topics dealing with the analysis of what motivates the human species to act as they act is out of place at cogsci.SE? Because - if you ask me - that is **EXACTLY** what Cognitive science is all about!
John Slegers
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-27T22:24:04.977Z
You might add, "because one wants to study their own child, while composing the child's characteristics to those of their parents", or "to see the effect of raising a child differently than one was raised, according to someone else's raised model". Yes, the possibilities seem infinite, but having a list seems nice.
Jack Maddington
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-25T08:19:44.080Z
2016-05-25T08:19:44.080Z
John Slegers
<p>Sooner or later most people will want to have children. What are some of the most common psychological reasons leading people to want to have children? What are their motivations and expectations?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-16T10:50:43.027Z
This seems too broad when trying to answer objectively, otherwise primarily opinion-based.
Steven Jeuris
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-18T17:16:17.000Z
Why do you want to eat, drink and breath? Sex and care of offspring are genetically programmed into humans and other animals (particularly long-lived mammals) as a way to increase the likelihood of our genetics surviving. This is a primary characteristic of living things; we try to survive and have our genetics survive. Evolution drives this basic circuitry to provide us with innate motivation so that the species can survive. So, there is no "psychological cause". In Freudian terms, this is a primary process.
John Yetter
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-19T09:43:10.163Z
But a species can survive even if not everyone in that species reproduces, so what you are saying is not true for everyone. The drive that got is to reproduce in the past was desire for sex, but now we have birth control so things changed.
Jack Maddington
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-19T09:46:29.790Z
Also, our ability to reason has evolved with the generations. If we think the good life of our offspring might be threatened in next generations we might choose not to reproduce.
Jack Maddington
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-25T09:27:18.223Z
@JackMaddington You are correct. Not every single individual wants to reproduce, perhaps due to our ability to reason. However, the fact that most of humanity still wants to reproduce is the result of evolution. Without that drive to make new little humans, humanity would stop to exist. So we can reason against our primal instincts, but that doesn't mean those basic instincts are gone. A longing to eat is also the result of evolution but if you are dieting you can postpone/argue against this will to eat. Same as urinating, you can postpone it to avoid awkward situations.
Robin Kramer-ten Have
<social-psychology><developmental-psychology><cross-cultural-psychology>
Why do people want to have children?
Jack Maddington
# Why do people want to have children?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-05-15)

Sooner or later most people will want to have children. What are some of the most common psychological reasons leading people to want to have children? What are their motivations and expectations?

**Tags:** social-psychology, developmental-psychology, cross-cultural-psychology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This seems too broad when trying to answer objectively, otherwise primarily opinion-based.  
> **username_2**: Why do you want to eat, drink and breath? Sex and care of offspring are genetically programmed into humans and other animals (particularly long-lived mammals) as a way to increase the likelihood of our genetics surviving. This is a primary characteristic of living things; we try to survive and have our genetics survive. Evolution drives this basic circuitry to provide us with innate motivation so that the species can survive. So, there is no "psychological cause". In Freudian terms, this is a primary process.  
> **username_0**: But a species can survive even if not everyone in that species reproduces, so what you are saying is not true for everyone. The drive that got is to reproduce in the past was desire for sex, but now we have birth control so things changed.  
> **username_0**: Also, our ability to reason has evolved with the generations. If we think the good life of our offspring might be threatened in next generations we might choose not to reproduce.  
> **username_3**: @JackMaddington You are correct. Not every single individual wants to reproduce, perhaps due to our ability to reason. However, the fact that most of humanity still wants to reproduce is the result of evolution. Without that drive to make new little humans, humanity would stop to exist. So we can reason against our primal instincts, but that doesn't mean those basic instincts are gone. A longing to eat is also the result of evolution but if you are dieting you can postpone/argue against this will to eat. Same as urinating, you can postpone it to avoid awkward situations.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2016-05-25. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

There are many reasons why people want to have children :

* Some want to have children because they hope it can save their declining marriage / relationship
* Some want to have children because they feel instinctively driven towards it
* Some want to have children because they feel they're supposed to
* Some want to have children because they feel they're missing "something" in their lives
* Some want to have children because they want to learn more about themselves
* Some want to have children because they want to learn more about the man or woman they love
* ...

Still, I believe most reasons why people want to have children are perfectly captured by this single quote :

> Nevertheless, if you ask me, most people have children just as their
> own enthusiasm about life begins to wane. A child allows us to revisit
> the excitement we once felt about, well... everything. A generation
> later, our grandkids bump up our enthusiasm yet again. Reproducing is
> a kind of booster shot to keep us loving life.
>
> ― Chuck Palahniuk, *Damned*

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Cool post/answer. I want even more reasons (the ...). Thanks.  
> **username_1**: @JackMaddington Stack Exchange (SE) is not intended to poll opinions on certain topics from users (and definitely not Cognitive Sciences). This only constitutes an answer in pointing out that the answer is 'primarily opinion based'; a close reason for questions on SE.  
> **username_4**: @StevenJeuris : I don't see how this is more opinion based than `why is the sky blue?` or `How does the brain process sensory input?`. The OP isn't asking for anyone's personal opinion but for a general, broader understanding of what drives members of the human species to reproduce themselves. I don't see how that's anything but perfectly on topic here. Are you really saying that topics dealing with the analysis of what motivates the human species to act as they act is out of place at cogsci.SE? Because - if you ask me - that is **EXACTLY** what Cognitive science is all about!  
> **username_0**: You might add, "because one wants to study their own child, while composing the child's characteristics to those of their parents", or "to see the effect of raising a child differently than one was raised, according to someone else's raised model". Yes, the possibilities seem infinite, but having a list seems nice.  

---

