In a new study by the University of Haifa’s Faculty of Education founds that preschool-aged children who displayed fearless behaviors disclose less empathy and show more aggression with their peers.
The study included 80 children ranging in ages from 3 to 4 years old with their parents and also their teachers. This study watched the children’s ‘tendency to fearlessness and their social-emotional characteristics’ throughout one entire year (beginning and end) for accuracy.
Discoveries:
- Heart rate in children with fearless behavioral was slow to begin with.
- More fearless children had less empathy towards other students
- More fearless children had difficulty showing facial expressions of fear whereas they were able to show’ facial emotions such as anger, surprise, happiness or sadness’.
- More fearless children had higher levels of ‘general aggression – especially tending toward antisocial behavior such as taking advantage of friends, emotional shallowness and a lack of regret or guilt after doing something socially unacceptable.’
- More fearless children were found to be sociable.
For more information on this study visit Science Daily’s article on Fearless Children Show Less Empathy, More Aggression, Research Finds.