Children who grow up in poorer households tend to be more generous than those from well off families, according to new research.
An altruism experiment involving more than 70 four-year-olds, conducted by researchers at the University of California, also showed how that generosity could make poorer kids healthier and wealthier later in life.
During the experiment, the children were allowed to play games and win tokens, which could be exchanged for prizes. When it came time to claim the prizes, the children were asked if they would like to give some of their tokens to ill children who couldn’t make it to the lab that day.
Children who came from poorer families donated more tokens than those who came from wealthy families.
Using electrodes attached to each child, the researchers were also able to monitor their vagal tone (the activity of the vagus nerve in the brain).
The children who donated more had a higher vagal tone, meaning they were more calm and had better health and wellbeing.
“We usually think of altruism as coming at a cost to the giver,” said researcher Jonas Miller, “but our findings suggest that when children forgo self-gain to help people who are less fortunate, they may get something back in the form of higher vagal tone.”
