Happy Little Benefactor: Prosocial Behaviors Promote Happiness in Young Children From Two Cultures
Evidence that young children display more happiness when sharing than receiving treats supports that humans, by nature, are prosocial. However, whether this “warm glow” is also found for other prosocial behaviors (instrumental helping and empathic helping) and/or in different cultures is still uncle...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01398/full |
| _version_ | 1819013603342155776 |
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| author | Yue Song Martine Louise Broekhuizen Judith Semon Dubas |
| author_facet | Yue Song Martine Louise Broekhuizen Judith Semon Dubas |
| author_sort | Yue Song |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Evidence that young children display more happiness when sharing than receiving treats supports that humans, by nature, are prosocial. However, whether this “warm glow” is also found for other prosocial behaviors (instrumental helping and empathic helping) and/or in different cultures is still unclear. Dutch (studies 1 and 2) and Chinese (study 3) young children participated in a sharing task, followed by instrumental helping and empathic helping tasks in which they were praised (thanked) if they helped. Consistent results were found across three studies, showing that (1) participants displayed more happiness after giving than receiving treats; (2) toddlers displayed more happiness after instrumental helping than initially interacting with the experimenter; and (3) toddlers’ happiness remained the same after positive social feedback (i.e., being thanked). Taken together, these results indicate that independent of culture, both sharing and instrumental helping are emotionally rewarding, supporting an evolutionary origin of these behaviors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T02:02:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6c8df850f41b4ae888a3281dedc9b079 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T02:02:34Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-6c8df850f41b4ae888a3281dedc9b0792022-12-21T19:19:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782020-06-011110.3389/fpsyg.2020.01398482953Happy Little Benefactor: Prosocial Behaviors Promote Happiness in Young Children From Two CulturesYue Song0Martine Louise Broekhuizen1Judith Semon Dubas2Developmental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, NetherlandsChild, Family, and Education Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, NetherlandsDevelopmental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, NetherlandsEvidence that young children display more happiness when sharing than receiving treats supports that humans, by nature, are prosocial. However, whether this “warm glow” is also found for other prosocial behaviors (instrumental helping and empathic helping) and/or in different cultures is still unclear. Dutch (studies 1 and 2) and Chinese (study 3) young children participated in a sharing task, followed by instrumental helping and empathic helping tasks in which they were praised (thanked) if they helped. Consistent results were found across three studies, showing that (1) participants displayed more happiness after giving than receiving treats; (2) toddlers displayed more happiness after instrumental helping than initially interacting with the experimenter; and (3) toddlers’ happiness remained the same after positive social feedback (i.e., being thanked). Taken together, these results indicate that independent of culture, both sharing and instrumental helping are emotionally rewarding, supporting an evolutionary origin of these behaviors.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01398/fullaltruismprosocial behaviorshappinesstoddlers and preschoolerswarm glow |
| spellingShingle | Yue Song Martine Louise Broekhuizen Judith Semon Dubas Happy Little Benefactor: Prosocial Behaviors Promote Happiness in Young Children From Two Cultures Frontiers in Psychology altruism prosocial behaviors happiness toddlers and preschoolers warm glow |
| title | Happy Little Benefactor: Prosocial Behaviors Promote Happiness in Young Children From Two Cultures |
| title_full | Happy Little Benefactor: Prosocial Behaviors Promote Happiness in Young Children From Two Cultures |
| title_fullStr | Happy Little Benefactor: Prosocial Behaviors Promote Happiness in Young Children From Two Cultures |
| title_full_unstemmed | Happy Little Benefactor: Prosocial Behaviors Promote Happiness in Young Children From Two Cultures |
| title_short | Happy Little Benefactor: Prosocial Behaviors Promote Happiness in Young Children From Two Cultures |
| title_sort | happy little benefactor prosocial behaviors promote happiness in young children from two cultures |
| topic | altruism prosocial behaviors happiness toddlers and preschoolers warm glow |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01398/full |
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