Insecure attachment tied to bigger families across cultures, study finds

A cross-cultural study of 15,120 adults across Japan, Canada, and the United States finds that insecure attachment styles (fearful and preoccupied) are linked to having more biological children, while secure attachment is associated with fewer children in Canada and the USA but not in Japan. The researchers used a four-item attachment measure and self-reported fertility, interpreting results through life-history theory and noting culture shapes these patterns. Limitations include a correlational, cross-sectional design and WEIRD samples, so findings can’t establish causation or universal applicability.