And this generosity holds true even for children who are not yet of school age.
The rich may have better material conditions, but in terms of generosity, it is not necessarily equal to the poor. That’s what American psychologists concluded, after performing a test on a number of children.
Specifically, experts from the University of California did an experiment on “altruism” on 74 4-year-old children. In it, the children participate in a number of games to receive coins, then use them to exchange gifts.
In terms of generosity, the rich are not necessarily equal to the poor.
But after playing, the children will be asked to donate these coins to some other sick friends. They can donate some or all of the coins to you. Each child’s donation will be kept confidential, or at least they think so, to prevent circumstances from influencing the child’s decision.
What about the results? Children from less-than-wealthy families turned out to donate the most, and seemed to be more compassionate than the “velvet” children.
In addition, the specialist also attached electrodes to measure the heart rate and the vagus nerve . Thereby, they found that the most generous children were able to control stress levels through this nerve.
The vagus nerve is the largest parasympathetic nerve in the body, controlling movement and feeling most of the internal organs in the chest and abdomen. Controlling it means that the children’s physical and mental health when they grow up is also better than usual. In addition, they are also calmer people, mastering more social skills.
Parents who are rich, but their character… miserly will inadvertently be passed down to the next generation, affecting children.
“Our study shows that cultivating a predisposition to altruism plays an important role in helping children have good health in the future,” said Jonas Miller, who led the study.
“It is also possible that parents who are rich but miserly will inadvertently pass on to the next generation, reducing children’s communication skills and social sensitivity.”
The study was published in the journal Psychological Science.