Playing with money makes children selfish, study finds

THE Bible warns that the love of money is the root of all evil, but merely letting children touch notes and coins makes them less helpful, a study has found.

The behaviour of children as young as three can change dramatically if they handle money even for a short time.

In two experiments, researchers found that those who played with money went on to be “more selfish, less helpful, and less generous” in subsequent tasks – which tested their willingness to carry out tasks to help others, and to share – than those who had not first played with money.

The study, conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago said the children “took more rewards for themselves and were less inclined to give away their toys to other children”.