Colman Noctor: Being kind to others is a win-win

"In an increasingly individualist world that places far more emphasis on the ‘I’ than the ‘we’, it is more challenging for children to be aware of the value of reaching out to others."

Pic: iStock

KINDNESS creates a heartfelt connection with others, and a child who has this quality will likely find many doors open to them.

Can you teach a child to be kind, or is it innate? Ioannis Katsantonis and Ros McLellan, from the faculty of education at the University of Cambridge, studied data from 10,000 people born between 2000 and 2002 and found that a loving bond between parents and their children significantly increases the child’s tendency to be ‘pro-social’ and act with kindness and empathy.