According to the findings of a study, youngsters can be motivated to engage in acts of kindness and compassion by a unique feeling.
Children's altruism, which can be defined as the inclination to be interested in and devoted to the welfare of others, is a topic that psychologists and educators are very interested in studying.
But what is it that truly drives a child to take action for the benefit of other people? The factors that contribute to children's altruism were investigated in a study that was published in the journal Psychological Science.
Researchers investigated the impact that children's sense of wonder has on their prosocial behaviour towards members of an out-group.
Wonder, which is referred to as the "axis" in English, can be provoked by a variety of events, including beautiful natural vistas, artistic or musical creations, and spiritual or religious encounters.
Individuals who experience wonder are more likely to have feelings of modesty or smallness, as well as to reevaluate their perspectives on the world.
"Wonder is an emotion that makes individuals attentive to the social world rather than to themselves," the authors of the study state. "Despite its importance in children's culture, it has been little studied in children," they say. "Wonder is an emotion that makes individuals attentive to the social world."
More than five hundred children between the ages of eight and thirteen participated in two pre-recorded investigations, one of which was conducted online and the other in the field. The children saw animated video snippets that aroused excitement, joy, or a neutral response (control).
The children who watched the awe-inspiring video were more willing to work on a challenging task (counting food items for refugee families) and to give their experimental gains (in both trials) in favour of refugees. This was the case regardless of which study they participated in.
In addition to this, they demonstrated an increase in respiratory sinus arrhythmia, which is a measure of activation of the parasympathetic nervous system that is related with interpersonal interaction.
According to these findings, the development of generosity and altruism in youngsters may be significantly influenced by the way in which they experience wonder.