--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human children, on the other hand, are…" description: "\"“Human children, on the other hand, are inherently cooperative. From the earliest ages, they desire to help others, to share information and to partici..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ef/nicholas-wade-11913_children_human-children-on-the-other-hand-are-inh_2006710.jpg" --- # Human children, on the other hand, are inherently… ![“Human children, on the other hand, are inherently cooperative. From the earliest ages, they desire to help others, to share information and to participate in pursuing common goals. The developmental psychologist Michael Tomasello has studied this cooperativeness in a series of experiments with…” quote by Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ef/nicholas-wade-11913_children_human-children-on-the-other-hand-are-inh_2006710.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ef/nicholas-wade-11913_children_human-children-on-the-other-hand-are-inh_2006710.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ef/nicholas-wade-11913_children_human-children-on-the-other-hand-are-inh_2006710.jpg) > ““Human children, on the other hand, are inherently cooperative. From the earliest ages, they desire to help others, to share information and to participate in pursuing common goals. The developmental psychologist Michael Tomasello has studied this cooperativeness in a series of experiments with very young children. He finds that if infants aged 18 months see an unrelated adult with hands full trying to open a door, almost all will immediately try to help. If the adult pretends to have lost an object, children from as young as 12 months will helpfully point out where”” [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children naturally help others and share information, showing innate cooperativeness from infancy. **In simple terms:** Kids are naturally cooperative and eager to help. Key Takeaway Encourage and model cooperation early. Themes cooperation development empathy social learning Mood hopeful inspired Type observational insightful When to use this quote - parenting - early education - team projects - community volunteering Key Concepts Evolutionary psychology early childhood development prosocial behavior Questions to Reflect On - How can we channel children's natural helpfulness into constructive actions? - When does helping become counterproductive? A Different Perspective Children may help without understanding the broader context, leading to misdirected effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Common goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Help others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-others/) [St Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/st-michael/) ## Related quotes > [Creating value is an inherently cooperative process, capturing value is inherently competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-nalebuff/creating-value-is-an-inherently-cooperative-process-capturing-value/) Barry Nalebuff > [Cooperativeness is not so much learning how to get along with others as taking the kinks out of ourselves, so that others can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/cooperativeness-is-not-so-much-learning-how-to-get-along-with-others/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [The parts of a machine work with a maximum of cooperativeness for a common result, but they do not form a community. If, however,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-parts-of-a-machine-work-with-a-maximum-of-cooperativeness-for-a/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Cooperation called fraternity in the classic French formula is as much a part of the democratic ideal as is personal initiative. That cultural conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/cooperation-called-fraternity-in-the-classic-french-formula-is-as/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Amory Lovins says the primary design criteria he uses is the question How do we love all the children? Not just our children, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/starhawk/amory-lovins-says-the-primary-design-criteria-he-uses-is-the-question/) [Starhawk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/starhawk/) > [Black women, white women- all of them. I'm colorblind. I don't know the difference. I only know you're a human being and you're my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moms-mabley/black-women-white-women-all-of-them-i-m-colorblind-i-don-t-know-the/) [Moms Mabley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moms-mabley/) > [“Human beings -- human children especially -- seldom deny themselves the pleasure of exercising a power which they are conscious of possessing, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/human-beings-human-children-especially-seldom-deny-themselves-the/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [There was no name for the disease; his body had gone insane, forgotten the blueprint by which human beings were built. 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My children act like they've never been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/bedtime-makes-you-realize-how-completely-incapable-you-are-of-being/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [One cannot watch chimpanzee infants for long without realizing that they have the same emotional need for affection and reassurance as human children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/one-cannot-watch-chimpanzee-infants-for-long-without-realizing-that/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“So often, children are punished for being human. 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But what traits were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/there-is-every-reason-to-suppose-that-people-living-in-agrarian/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“The English state thus constructed a system, later followed by other European countries, in which the ruler was subject to the law and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/the-english-state-thus-constructed-a-system-later-followed-by-other/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“Although the emotional and intellectual differences between the world’s peoples as individuals are slight enough, even a small shift in social behavior can generate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/although-the-emotional-and-intellectual-differences-between-the-world/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“The king and queen were usually present, and the king or the dauphin would light a pyre. 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