The Power of Giving: Research Explores Kindness in Children

Margaret Echelbarger

In a world where generosity can sometimes feel undervalued, research from Margaret Echelbarger, assistant professor of marketing in the College of Business, sheds light on the power of kindness, especially among children.

The study, conducted by Echelbarger with Nick Epley, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago, looked into how children perceive their own acts of kindness and the surprisingly big impact those actions have on others. Their findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychologyin 2023, highlight a disconnect between children and adults' predictions regarding the positive impact of their generosity and the reported positive experiences of their recipients.

Echelbarger's research findings were featured last month in Time for Kids, as well as in TheConversation.

In the experiment, conducted at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the researchers asked 101 children to make a choice: each child was given two pencils and told they could keep both, or they could give one pencil to a stranger, picked by the child. The children were then asked to predict how happy the recipient would be to receive the pencil.

Many children had trouble guessing just how big of an impact their small act of kindness would have. "It was clear that kids consistently underestimated the positive impact of these prosocial acts," said Echelbarger. "Children, like adults, didn't fully anticipate just how happy their recipient would be, and that's an important barrier to consider when encouraging kindness."

The recipients of the pencils were much happier than the children had predicted. This finding was consistent with earlier studies in which adults underestimated the effects of random acts of kindness, such as helping someone or offering a small gift. "What we found, both with adults and now with children, is that these small acts of generosity really make a bigger difference than people expect," Echelbarger said.

The research setup for Margaret Echelbarger's study on how children perceive their own acts of kindness.

The happiness from the act was not isolated to the receiver, but also experienced by the giver. "They felt good after performing a kind deed," says Echelbarger. "It speaks to the power of these small acts of kindness - that they benefit not just the recipients of them, but the givers as well."

The findings suggest that the barrier preventing people from engaging in more acts of kindness may be a misunderstanding of their impact. "We tend to think, 'Oh, it's no big deal,' but on the other side, people often think, 'Wow, someone really cared enough to do something kind for me,'" she explained.

Echelbarger noted, "I think what we forget is that we all like to be on the receiving end of small, kind gestures. Whether it's someone holding the door, surprising us with a coffee, or even something as simple as saying hello - it matters. And yet, we consistently undervalue these moments as the person initiating the kindness toward others."

She hopes her research will inspire both children and adults to embrace kindness more frequently, especially when the act feels small. "The world can feel like a hard, harsh place to live in sometimes," she said. "But evidence like this shows that when we engage with others in positive ways, it truly makes a difference. It's a call to action to be more intentional about kindness."

The study also serves as a reminder that kindness is not limited to large gestures or gifts. "It's about those everyday moments," Echelbarger added. "As humans, we need to connect with each other in meaningful ways. That's what makes this work so relevant, especially in a time when people may be questioning the value of human interaction amid the rise of AI and technology. Acts of kindness remind us of our shared humanity."

"Even in my own research on financial decision-making, I'm always thinking about consumer well-being across the lifespan," she said. "We can be kind with our money, but it's also about being kind consumers - being ethical and thoughtful in the ways we interact with the world."

Echelbarger will host a community workshop titled Money Basics for Kidsin Stony Brook University's Harriman Hall on October 26 at 12 pm, during Homecoming weekend.

- Beth Squire

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