Robert Fulgham wrote the best-selling book, Everything I Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten. According to recent research, he should have learned some of those things 3 years earlier.
Believe it or not, he could have arrived at the kindergarten door already altruistic.
At first blush, "altruistic kindergartener" is an oxymoron, but toddlers as young as 18 months display altruism.
Reminder: altruism is helping someone with no expectation of it benefitting you in return.
Here's your student-of-human-behavior assignment for the week: "accidentally" drop something as you walk by a toddler and see if she picks it up and hands it to you. Researchers say that you might be surprised how often they will. Why?
Why altruism so young? Seems to me that altruism is Nature, not Nurture. Built into us as humans.
November 9, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I believe altruism is Nature. The kids I'm around have picked stuff up for me when it has slipped on the floor. I don't have to ask for thier help. They are excited to be of help to me.
I found this blog very interesting. About 2 days ago I read this blog and decided to try dropping something infront of my friends daughter which is 20 months old. Almost immediately she said Nana you dropped something and picked it up for me.
Post a Comment