Altruism may begin in infancy, according to a new study.
In a study of nearly 100 19-month-olds, the researchers found that children, even when hungry, gave a tasty snack to a stranger in need. The findings in Scientific Reports not only show that infants engage in altruistic behavior, but also suggest that early social experiences can shape altruism.
“We think altruism is important to study because it is one of the most distinctive aspects of being human. It is an important part of the moral fabric of society,” says lead author Rodolfo Cortes Barragan, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS). “We adults help each other when we see another in need and we do this even if there is a cost to the self. So we tested the roots of this in infants.”…