Are you a mom of a child under the age of 18? Are you happy?

According to an research study recently released by C3, a Kansas City-based kids marketing agency, there's only a 50/50 chance that an American mom will answer the happiness question affirmatively. You read that correctly. Half of the mothers in the U.S. are not, according to this study conducted with Weekly Reader Research and mirroring the demographic breakdown of the U.S. census, having a very good go of it.

Clearly this is not a comfortable premise, and it is hardly made brighter by the national economic duress or the advent of the holiday season. In fact, the whole issue might have been comfortably swept under the rug except for one salient conclusion of the study. According to Jenny Ferguson, C3's consumer insights and research director, "the more unhappy and pessimistic moms are, the greater the usage of quick-service."

Certainly nobody really wants to hear that. Of several fast-food companies contacted for their opinions in regard to this finding, it is hardly surprising that only two even bothered to get back. One spokesperson delicately expressed the opinion that the story wasn't quite right for them, and another flat out questioned the premise, statistics notwithstanding.

It should be quickly pointed out that there are a lot of happy moms, some of whom are enthusiastic consumers of fast food. "Comfortable & confident" moms, as well as those in a happily busy sub-category labeled "on the go," represent a combined 30 percent of the total mom population and are likely, by a margin of 3:1 to have at least one fast-food outing in a given week, according to the study. Even so, among the least likely to patronize fast-food establishments are the combined 20 percent of moms who make up the so-called "happy, healthy & prosperous" sub-category, and the "conscientious" moms who, according to Ferguson, "like to cook, are concerned about health matters, enjoy planning, and are the sort to drive around with hampers in their trunks full of nutritious foods." These latter two sub-categories are, by the same margin of 3:1, likely to make no fast-food stops in a given week.

As already indicated, though, it's by far the troubled moms who are steadfastly visiting fast-food establishments. It's hardly surprising that the 7 percent of moms who fall into the "stressed single" classification are fast-food customers. But perhaps even more noteworthy are the 25 percent of moms who comprise the "worried pessimists" and "disillusioned & disappointed," camps and are the most frequent consumers of fast food.

"What's interesting is that money doesn't seem to have a whole lot to do with it," Ferguson says. "In general they're economically fine; but they say that being a good wife and mom is just not a priority. They are sort of ‘me oriented,' and just aren't very excited about cookie baking or joining the PTA."

The C3 study offers a host of additional fast food for thought. Among its family focused findings are insights regarding: type of dining occasion (the No. 1 use of fast food by a mom is for dining by herself); family decision dynamics (more than 80 percent of fast-food dining decisions are the result of a mom/kid collaboration without a whole lot of input from dad); and the key influencers for kids (toys are important, but they seem to rank well behind advertising messages and even farther behind food factors).

Still, it's virtually impossible to keep from circling back to the notion of unhappy moms and, ultimately, what the fast-food marketing universe should be doing about it. Are there creative messaging possibilities here that can legitimately speak to real customer perceptions and values? Or would it simply be a form of brand suicide to tie a message to disillusionment?

Perhaps a bit of the answer is contained in the broad cultural zeitgeist. Since fast-food companies were not eager to give feedback here, the insights of a few mental-health professionals were solicited. The question put to them was whether the notion of a link between pessimism and fast food made any sense. Psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman took a stab at what's going on here.

"When a mom is dissatisfied with her life, she feels unworthy and undeserving of the good things in life," Lieberman says. "She knows fast food is not good for her, but she feels that all she deserves is junk. And at the same time, she is punishing herself by filling up the emptiness she feels inside with something that's as worthless as she is and will degrade her even more."

Wow, can't you feel the help coming right through the page?

Seriously, though, it is the wise fast-food marketer who will take some time to ponder this state of affairs. The truth is that contemporary culture tends to frown (heap massive amounts of scorn?) upon these legitimately unhappy moms … especially if their coping mechanism is lunch at a fast-food restaurant. How do you help these women, your customers, feel less than "worthless?"

The answer, I suspect, is not so much a function of new products or technology or efficient operations or advertising or any of the things that seem to matter so much in today's quick-service world. It is an issue of creating a culture that celebrates kindness. Please, teach your people to smile.