The First Joy of Giving

Children Prefer Giving to Taking

A recent study published in Developmental Science suggests that goodness is not a byproduct of culture or religion. It appears instead as something more elemental—woven into our emotional lives from the very beginning.

Researchers observed 134 children between 16 and 23 months old. Each child received treats and then entered a simple sharing scenario. The child could give one of their own treats to a plush monkey, offer a treat provided by the experimenter, watch as the experimenter gave the monkey a treat, or simply receive a treat themselves. Each time, the monkey responded with visible enthusiasm. Independent observers later assessed the children’s reactions using video recordings.

The pattern was striking. Children showed greater happiness when they gave treats than when they received them. This held true whether they shared their own resources or those supplied by the experimenter. Even more telling, active giving produced more joy than merely watching someone else give.

The Brain Rewards Goodness

These findings provide evidence that sharing is intrinsically rewarding from shortly after it first emerges, which may serve as a proximate mechanism driving cooperation in human societies,

– the authors write.

They suggest, in other words, that the warm glow that follows an act of generosity may be more than a passing feeling. It may form part of the emotional machinery that makes cooperation possible in the first place.

The study shows that human cooperation may be sustained by a natural emotional reward. Giving creates a positive feedback loop: the more often we do something good for others, the more joy we feel, and that joy, in turn, encourages further acts of kindness. In the broader context of evolutionary theory, the findings fit neatly with the idea that cooperation depends not only on norms and sanctions, but also on inward rewards—on meaning, satisfaction, and the quiet pleasure of being of use to someone else.

Is Human Nature Good from the Start?

What does this reveal about us? It suggests that goodness does not emerge only through discipline or socialisation. It appears early—almost as soon as a child begins to share anything at all.

The fact that children not yet 2 years old experience more happiness in giving than in receiving challenges a persistent narrative: that human beings are fundamentally self-interested, and that goodness exists only as a fragile cultural overlay.

This study does not prove that people always act generously. Nor does it deny the importance of upbringing or culture. It does, however, point to something more fundamental. At the base of human development lies a simple, embodied pleasure in doing something for another person.

We Are Not So Selfish After All

At a time when public discourse often circles around a supposed crisis of empathy, these findings offer a quieter, more grounded hope. Kindness may not require us to fight against our nature. It may instead call us back to it.

In that sense, the question is human nature good does not demand an abstract answer. It asks us to pay attention—to children, to experience, and to the small, immediate joy that accompanies even the simplest act of giving.

Read this article in Polish: Człowiek jest z natury dobry? Dzieci pokazują nam coś ważnego