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Study Reveals Newborns Innately Prefer Kindness Over Cruelty

7/15/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Newborns just five days old show a remarkable preference for kindness over cruelty, according to a groundbreaking study. Researchers tracked the gaze of 90 infants as they watched animations of helping versus hindering actions, revealing that our capacity for empathy and moral understanding might be instinctual, suggesting we are born with an innate sense of right and wrong.

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Story summary

Newborns just five days old show a remarkable preference for kindness over cruelty, according to a groundbreaking study. Researchers tracked the gaze of 90 infants as they watched animations of helping versus hindering actions, revealing that our capacity for empathy and moral understanding might be instinctual, suggesting we are born with an innate sense of right and wrong.