A recent study published in Developmental Science<\/em> suggests that goodness is not a byproduct of culture or religion.<\/strong> It appears instead as something more elemental<\/strong>\u2014woven into our emotional lives from the very beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s reactions using video recordings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pattern was striking. Children showed greater happiness<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/strong>,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nThe Brain Rewards Goodness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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