So everybody's been talking about what horrible people babies are, and I -- oh, you haven't heard? Yeah, according to a bunch of researchers, babies apparently have no moral compass. How did they make this disconcerting and seemingly irrelevant discovery, you ask? Interesting story: Basically, they lined all the babies up and made them take turns trying on a tiny Sorting Hat and -- wouldn't you know? They all ended up in Slytherin.
Okay, not really, but honestly? The actual "scientific process" involved researchers observing babies' reactions to puppets pretending to push each other down a hill or something and sounds about as accurate as a magic hat.
Anyway, the whole thing is supposed to support the theory that human beings aren't born knowing right from wrong. And it's a good thing babies don't have size or motor skills to their advantage cause those little suckers are rotten to the core.
But you know what? I don't buy it. Not for a second. I've known lots of babies -- even had a couple of my own -- and while it's true that they are inordinately self-centered little creatures, they aren't sociopaths. For cripessake!
Babies totally show compassion and kindness and concern for others, contrary to what this study claims. If you're a mom, you know what I'm talking about: Those moments when you stub your toe or get a paper cut and cry out in pain and your baby looks at you like, Oh my god, Mommy! Mommy is hurt! Should I cry, too! MOMMY!!
I can still clearly remember the day I was pushing my 11- or 12-month-old daughter in a grocery cart when we heard another baby crying from some other part of the store. Instantly, my daughter started looking around in alarm. "Bee-bee!" Oh no! A baby is sad! Something must be done!!
I mean, who knows -- I guess it's possible that those researchers just got stuck with a group of future criminals. But I doubt it.
Do you think your baby was born bad?
Image via Hamish Darby/Flickr
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Comments 25
I've seen studies using similar methods that indicate the exact opposite. The researchers had three puppets. One would push and hit the second one for a while. The third would play nicely with the second. The babies would be given the opportunity to play with them. In almost all cases, they chose the 'good' puppet.
Babies cannot possibly be born to automatically know what our society has deemed as good and bad. It really is a matter of perspective. Being born neutral helps them adapt to the qualities we exemplify as being apropriate or not.
My son is very sweet. He has brought me his cookie when I was crying before (I htink he was just a year then). And he has voluntarily brought his blanket to my husband, laying on the couch. he is very considerate.
Of course primal instincts will always make you look out for yourself first. But that is why babies have such a great capacity to learn. They are very observant and pick up on our behaviors and how we interact at a very young age.
"So is she a 'good baby'?"
"Nope, I catch my 3mo trying to climb out the window every night with a stolen bottle of beer and a pack of cigs in her diaper!"
Blank slates - that's all babies are. Blank slates! What you impress upon them will change them forever. You want to constantly show them violence, they will mimic. You want to constantly show them love and kindness, they will mimic.
You want to speak French to them . . . THEY WILL MIMIC! You want to speak English to them . . . THEY WILL MIMIC! You want to always play a musical instrument around them . . . THEY WILL MIMIC! You want to . . . . .
Blank slates are neither good nor bad and to label them as such is an abhorrent, neglectful use of logical science!
This article was horribly written and misleading. Where are the actual results of the study? You know where it says they're all bad. Of course babies don't know right from wrong.
Babies are born without a sense of right from wrong, or an initial grasp of compassion, I completely agree. They are self absorbed and self centered creatures, and need to be such to survive when they are so young and defenseless. However they quickly learn that crying more often then not means pain is felt, they learn that once they understand that there is a sensation called pain and its unpleasant. However compassion for others really doesn't start until they are nearly a year. Maybe six months if it begins early. I don't think that researchers are so far off, I just think you are possibly blowing the findings out of proportion and adding your own spin on it.
Okay, so...puppets pushing each other down hills. You know what every single baby was thinking? "Oh, what's that? It moves! Cool! Make it move again!" Seriously.
@Lauren Borkowski- How many ADULTS laugh at guys getting smashed in the "goods"? Apparently a LOT of us lack a moral compass! ;-)
I think some people/babies are bad from birth. I mean, some people grow up with great parents and good homelives and yet they still turn into murderers. Kids never exposed to any abuse still kill animals and burn down buildings.