The question that I am asking is this – do kids prefer people or animals?
In a universal ethical principles game developed by MIT researchers, some surprising results were revealed. When children were placed in a hypothetical situation that involved human versus animal life, they frequently chose to send a car careening into a person to save a dog. Further studies conducted by researchers at both Yale and Harvard found that when adults played the game, they would most likely save the person over dogs or pigs, even if they had to sacrifice 100 dogs to save one human.
When you look at the fact the children would usually choose to save the dog over the human, you have to ask yourself, “Why?” Some would suggest that is has to do with some evolutionary process or others might posit a socialization factor. Still others chalk it up to maturation. However, I might submit another thought for consideration.
Could it be that kids feel the most unconditional love from their family pet? I sometimes use this silly example – lock your wife (or husband) and your dog in the trunk of your car for an hour and when you come back, see which one is happy to see you.
Animals provide comfort, companionship, and non-judgmental unconditional love. Isn’t that what we all want from our most significant relationships? While I am certainly not suggesting we sacrifice people for animals, I am advocating that we endeavor to love our spouse, kids, parents, and friends with the quality of love that even our pets can demonstrate. It has the potential to radically enhance our relationships.