According to preschoolers , there ’s one uncomplicated magic you may use to obviate get old . They have n’t stumbled on the Fountain of Youth , nor some scientific breakthrough imply telomeres , it just involves avoid birthday party . easily .
A new study by a team of developmental psychologists bump that a surprisingly high ratio of little kids think that birthday parties cause aging . The research can be establish in the journalImagination , Cognition and Personality .
In the words of the researchers , “ child represent the birthday party as playing a causal role in the aging operation . ”
They quizzed 99 US nestling aged between 3 and 5 years on numerous exit touch to age , birthdays , and their perceptions of ageing . For the main part of the study , they posed legion different scenario where a child was about to have their third natal day . In the first scenario , the baby had no party on their birthday . For the second narrative , the nipper had two company ; and for the third story ( the dominance ) , the child was simply turning three . They were then involve what old age the child would be stick with these different scenarios .
Most of the shaver , 72 percent , correctly say the child would turn three in the third ascendence scenario . However , for the no political party story , 28 pct of kids think the child would not turn three and just stay at age two . A further 9 percent thought that the lack of party would in reality intend he or she would deform four .
Nevertheless , the tyke in the study did have a pretty beneficial idea of their own age , with 44 out of 48 answer right when asked their years .
These adorable findings are much more than a cutesy bit of research to warm your heart . The results provide some riveting insight into how human race develop their signified of life , time , and age . As a coinage all too aware of our own death rate , that ’s moderately significant .
The researchers say it is n’t clear why kids recollect this way , although they say it almost for sure has something to do with “ the ubiquitous human tendency ” to misidentify causing for co - occurrence . " Even grown - up adults also come out to have a warm need to search explanation and signification in personal consequence . Particularly in the instance of small fry and natal day , children are yet to live or realise that age and clip is a continuum . So far , their experience has only told them that it ’s affiliate with a particular result involving cd , cakes , and other shout out youngster .
The study notes , “ In the absence of easy clear forcible , biologic , or verbal cues to what causes changes in years , children appear to turn to an event that is directly correlated with cultural reference to the aging process – the birthday political party . ”
