Newborns Demonstrate Innate Preference for Kindness and Prosocial Behavior

Recent research published in Nature Communications reveals that even just five days after birth, infants can differentiate between helping and hindering behaviors and show a preference for prosocial interactions. The study, led by Dr. Kiley Hamlin from the University of British Columbia, involved presenting 90 newborns with animated videos depicting helpful versus unhelpful actions, as well as friendly versus avoidant social cues. Remarkably, the newborns spent more time observing positive social behaviors, indicating that their social preferences are likely innate.

The experiment showed babies long animation clips where one ball assisted another climbing a hill, while another scenario depicted the same ball obstructing the climb. Infants focused longer on the helping scenes. Similarly, videos where a ball approached or moved away from another drew their attention based on the social context. Control videos with random motion without social cues did not attract their interest, suggesting that babies are responding to social meanings, not just movement.

This finding challenges the notion that social preferences are purely learned through experience. Since newborns have limited vision and minimal exposure to social interactions, their innate preference for prosocial behavior supports theories that some moral instincts are hardwired. Dr. Hamlin emphasizes that these early tendencies could be the foundational roots of morality and social evaluation, highlighting that humans may be born with an inherent sense of social goodness.

Moreover, the research builds on previous work with older infants, extending understanding to days-old babies, and suggests that the roots of moral understanding begin very early in life. The implications point toward a biological basis for morality, with potential influences on how social behavior and empathy develop over time.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-kindness-day-baby-newborn-eyes.html