Psychologists believe that a lie about a winter wizard can have a bad effect on the psyche of a child and backfire when he grows up.
Don’t read this if you don’t want to know the truth. In the authoritative medical publication Lancet, two scientists at once argued that stories about Santa can undermine children’s trust in their parents. That is, it turns out that writing a letter to Santa Claus, calling the Snow Maiden at the matinee is harmful?
Professor Christopher Boyle, a psychologist at the University of Exeter, and Katie McKay, a sociology doctor at the University of New England in Australia, argue that the Santa Claus myth is perhaps darker than we are used to thinking. They both condemn the idea of the very existence of the inhabitants of the North Pole, who reward or punish children depending on the degree of their mischief or obedience.
– If parents are able to lie about something so special, about magic, then can they be relied on as the guardians of wisdom and truth in the final instance? – the researchers ask.
According to Professor Boyle, encouraging children’s belief in fairy tales is immoral – simply because sooner or later the child will understand that he has been lied to, and, accordingly, will feel cheated.
– All children eventually learn that they have been consistently lied to over the years. And they may wonder – and for what reason did their parents deceive them? Is it right to make children believe in Santa Claus, how this lie will affect them, is a question that has never been seriously considered, the professor said.
At the same time, both experts do not deny that such a phenomenon as a lie for salvation has a right to exist.
– When an adult comforts a child and says that their deceased pet has gone to paradise for dogs (cats, hamsters, etc.), perhaps it is better than telling them that “we are all dust and will return to dust.” , They say.
Well, on the other hand, fantasies about the existence of Santa Claus are not only for children. This is also a chance for adults to return to the time when they themselves believed in miracles.
– The popularity of stories about Harry Potter, Star Wars, Doctor Who clearly illustrates the desire of adults to return to childhood. Many people yearn for a time in their lives when their ability to imagine was welcomed. And in adulthood, imagination has no place, says Dr. McKay.
And they sum up – perhaps adults just need to believe in something better, in the opportunity to return to childhood, lost a long time ago in a distant, distant galaxy. Otherwise, the harsh adult life sometimes becomes simply unbearable.