Studies Have Proven That We Are Born With a Moral Compass

Aymes Sarah
5 min readDec 25, 2019

How to nurture your child’s natural morality

Image by Max Goncharov on Unsplash

Is morality nature or nurture? Are we born knowing the difference between good and evil? More importantly, can we recognize these traits in others as infants? Scientists now believe that infants are born with a moral compass.

In the past, experts have believed that parents need to install morals in our children. We teach them how to treat other people and animals. We teach them the difference between good and evil.

As it turns out, new research is surfacing that suggests that babies are not born as blank canvases. They are actually innately empathetic and compassionate. This research suggests that they can actually distinguish good from evil as early as three months of age!¹

From my experience, I believe this to be true. My toddler was only six months old when I began to observe her getting agitated if someone around her was upset. Especially if another baby was crying. Even now, if another child is crying, she will stop what she is doing to make sure they are alright.

Yale psychologist Paul Bloom has written a book called “Just Babies”. In this book, he explores if we are born with the ability to determine when someone else is hurting and display empathy. He states that babies show signs of…

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Aymes Sarah

Aymes is a freelance writer, social media manager, and published author. She co-owns a site ( www.personalsafetyschool.com ) with safety guide and tips!