Some families may think that religion helps kids become more empathetic and giving toward others, but a surprising study published in the journal Current Biology found the opposite to be true: The study revealed that children from religious backgrounds were less likely to be altruistic, defined as lacking selfishness and showing a desire to help others.

In the study, which involved 1,170 children between ages 5 and 12 from six countries — the United States, Canada, China, Jordan, South Africa, and Turkey — the kids were given two tasks: First, an altruism task, in which they played a version of the “Dictator Game.” In the game, they were given 10 stickers and had the opportunity to share the stickers with another unseen kid. The University of Chicago researchers measured altruism based on the average number of stickers shared.

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The second task tested moral sensitivity: The children watched an animated short in which one character pushes or bumps into another, either by accident or on purpose. After viewing the short, children were asked how mean the behavior was and what level of punishment the characters who pushed or bumped another deserved. Meanwhile, parents were given a questionnaire about their religious beliefs and their take on how empathetic and sensitive to justice their children are.

The questionnaire revealed that religious parents in all six countries reported that their children showed more empathy and sensitivity for justice in everyday life than the kids of nonreligious parents did. However, the researchers found that Christian and Muslim children (there wasn’t a large enough sample size for the study to include kids from other religious households) were less likely to share stickers, and were more likely to suggest harsh punishments for bad behavior than less religious kids.

The researchers found that children from atheist and nonreligious families were more giving.

Previous research shows that children tend to share more as they get older, but things didn’t necessarily improve with age based on this study. According to a University of Chicago press release on the research, the negative relationship between religiousness and altruism grew stronger with age. Children with a longer exposure to religion in the household were the least likely to share.

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“Our findings contradict the common sense and popular assumption that children from religious households are more altruistic and kind toward others,” the lead author of the study — Jean Decety, the Irving B. Harris distinguished service professor in psychology and psychiatry and director of the Child NeuroSuite at the University of Chicago — said in the release. “In our study, kids from atheist and nonreligious families were, in fact, more generous.”

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Decety added: “Together, these results reveal the similarity across countries in how religion negatively influences children’s altruism. They challenge the view that religiosity facilitates pro-social behavior, and call into question whether religion is vital for moral development — suggesting the secularization of moral discourse does not reduce human kindness. In fact, it does just the opposite.”

For parents hoping to encourage their kids to become better at sharing, as well as be kind and helpful to others, experts recommend leading by example. “It’s important to be a good role model,” David Schonfeld, MD, director of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, told Parents magazine. “Children learn to be helpful from watching you.”

(Photo: Getty Images)

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