A natural disaster can bring out the best in older children,
prompting 9-year-olds to be more willing to share, while 6-year-olds become
more selfish. Researchers at the University of Toronto, the University of
Chicago, and Liaoning Normal University made this finding in a rare natural
experiment in China around the time of a horrific earthquake.
A crucial difference between the two age groups emerged one
month after the disaster. The 6-year-olds’ willingness to share in a test
measuring altruism dropped by a third, while among 9-year-olds, willingness to
give to others nearly tripled. Three years later, children in the age groups
returned to pre-earthquake levels of altruism.