2022年12月四级 第2套 Section A 选词填空

Parenting brings fathers more joy than it does mothers, according to a new study. The research examined three studies __26__ more than 18,000 participants. Across all three, parenthood was __27__ with more positive wellbeing outcomes for dads than for mums.

So why are fathers happier than mothers? "Fathers may fare better than mothers in part due to how they spend time with their children," said lead author Katherine Nelson-Coffey. In one study, the authors __28__ that dads were more likely to take "playing' as an __29__ activity both when caring for their kids

and spending time with their kids. "Playing with their children likely offers parents opportunities to experience positive feelings and __30__ closeness with their children," they say.

Fathers also did better than men without kids, reporting greater happiness, life satisfaction, and fewer __31__ symptoms. They also reported greater connectedness and autonomy (自主). For mums, __32__, compared to women without children, the results weren't quite as positive. Mums reported greater autonomy, but also "greater trouble" and fewer positive __33__ .

Mums reported happier moods while interacting with their kids, compared to other experiences, but not while engaging __34__ in childcare. "This difference suggests that how mothers and fathers spend time with their children might have important __35__ for their wellbeing," the authors write. They suspect that mums may be less happy than dads because they're more likely to have higher expectations about parenthood. As such, they're more likely to be "let down" by the experience.