With less than three weeks to go until Christmas Day is finally here, children around the world will be excitedly counting down to Santa’s arrival.
For many families, a belief in Santa is part of the Christmas magic.
However, one scientist has controversially claimed that parents should not lie to their children about his existence.
Joseph Millum, a senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of St Andrews, argues that it’s ‘unethical’ to tell your children that Santa is real.
‘I believe that telling your child that Santa really exists is unethical,’ he wrote in an article for The Conversation.
‘It’s manipulative, breaches their trust and may cause worry and upset for benefits that can be provided without lying.’
Dr Millum admits that ‘there are worse parenting choices’.
However, he added: ‘If you have the choice, consider having a magical Christmas where everyone knows Santa is make-believe.’
For many people, a belief in Santa is part of the Christmas magic. However, one scientist has controversially claimed that parents should not lie to their children about his existence
Growing up, most children are told that if they’re good, Santa Claus will pop down their chimney on Christmas Eve, delivering gifts for them to open on Christmas Day.
Dr Millum claims that this traditional story leaves new parents with a ‘dilemma’.
‘Should you practice what you preach and tell your children the truth?’ he asked.
‘Or is there something special about Santa that makes this lie OK?’
Several previous studies have set out to understand the impact of the ‘Santa lie’ on children’s emotions.
In 1994, scientists from the University of Texas surveyed 52 children who no longer believed in Santa Claus.
Their results showed that children discovered the truth on their own at age seven on average – and generally had a positive reaction.
However, the discovery left most parents feeling sad.
Growing up, most children are told that if they’re good, Santa Claus will pop down their chimney on Christmas Eve, delivering gifts for them to open on Christmas Day. Dr Millum claims that this traditional story leaves new parents with a ‘dilemma’
Writing in their study, published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development, the researchers, led by Dr Carl Anderson, said: ‘Children reported predominantly positive reactions on learning the truth.
‘Parents, however, described themselves as predominantly sad in reaction to their child’s discovery.’
Meanwhile, a study earlier this year quizzed 48 children about how they discovered Santa wasn’t real, and how the discovery made them feel.
The results of this study showed that children discovered the truth at the age of eight on average – and just one third reported any negative emotions.
‘Experiences of negative emotions were generally short-lived, and the vast majority of both children and adults reported they would celebrate Santa with their own children or were already doing so,’ the team, led by Candice Mills, wrote in their study, published in Developmental Psychology.
Despite these findings, Dr Millam argues that there is ‘no solid evidence’ to show that believing in Santa improves the Christmas experience.
‘There seems to be no solid evidence that believing in Santa is important for enjoying Christmas, developing a child’s imagination, or improving critical thinking,’ he said.
‘And those benefits can still be given to children without deception.
‘The argument for telling the Santa lie based on its purported good consequences is weak.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .