Younger Kids Don't Care What's Fair

If you’ve ever spent time with toddlers, sooner or later you’ll hear the word “Mine!” It’s usually followed by an adult saying, “Now, now, you have to learn to share.” But a study in the August 28th issue of Nature suggests we may be wasting our breath. Because kids in the preschool set have no interest in making sure everyone gets their fair share.

Scientists from Switzerland wondered if, and when, young children begin to consider the welfare of others. So they gathered up over 200 Swiss schoolchildren and a small mountain of candy. And one-by-one they gave each child a choice that goes something like this: I can give one M&M to you and one to one of the other kids. Or I can give one to you—and none to anyone else.

Children who were three or four years old didn’t much care whether or not their friends also got an M&M, or a jellybean or any other sweet. But that attitude changed by the time the kids were seven or eight, when almost 80 percent of them opted to be fair. Okay, that doesn’t exactly make them candidates for a Nobel Peace Prize. But maybe magnanimousness begins with an M…&M.

如果你和蹒跚学步的幼儿呆在一起，很快你就会听到他们叫喊“这是我的！”往往这时候他们周围的大人就会教导他们：“从现在开始，你必须学会分享。”但是发表在8月28日的《自然》(Nature)杂志上的一项研究表明，大人对幼儿的这种教导可能是白费口舌。这是因为学龄前儿童对公平没有丝毫兴趣。

来自瑞士的科学家想知道儿童是否以及何时开始关注别人的幸福。这些科学家召集了200多名儿童，同时还买了一大堆糖果。然后这些科学家给每个小孩一些如下选择的机会：我给你一块M&M（一种巧克力糖）糖果，也给其他的小朋友一块。另外一个选择就是我给你一块糖果，但是不给其他小朋友。

研究发现3、4岁的孩子不是很在乎别的小朋友是否也得到一块糖果、果冻或者其他任何的甜食。但是当孩子长到7、8岁的时候他们表现出不同的态度，80%的孩子选择公平。当然了，这并不表明他们就可以作为诺贝尔和平奖的候选人。 不过宽容大度可能就始自于分享一块糖果呢。

Vocabulary:
Toddler: 初学步的小孩
Welfare: 福利；好处
Jellybean: 豆型软糖
Opt: 选择
Magnanimousness: 宽宏；大度