Are Babies Born to Bully? Research on Bullying and Genetics
Can bullying begin before children even understand what it means to hurt someone? And how much of our behavior toward others is influenced by genetics?
In 2013, researchers at the University of British Columbia and Université Laval published studies exploring early social preferences and the possible genetic influences on peer relationships.
The findings raised interesting questions about how prejudice develops and why some children experience rejection from their peers.
The following article preserves historical reporting on these studies, which relate to Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle’s work on understanding the roots of bullying.
Can Babies Show Prejudice as Early as Nine Months?
UBC study shows infants learn social stratification as early as nine months.
Babies today are all about blankies, bottles and … bullying?
A new University of British Columbia study done by the Centre for Infant Cognition suggests naptime may be the new frontier in the war on bullying.
In experiments conducted by UBC psychology professor Kiley Hamlin, babies aged nine to 14 months were found to take pleasure in the bullying of individuals they saw as different from themselves.
The study, in a terrifying preview of the social minefield that is the high school cafeteria, offered the infants a choice between a snack of graham crackers or green beans. The children were then shown a video of two puppets. In the video, one puppet favored the same snack as the child while the other puppet made a food faux pas by choosing the snack the child had passed on.
The children, when asked which of the puppets was their favorite, selected the puppet with similar tastes.
The experiment takes a slightly sinister turn when the children are shown videos of the puppets bullying each other. Not only did the children not mind when their favorite puppet picked on the puppet who chose differently from them, they also showed favoritism to new puppets who bullied the puppet that liked different snacks from the infant.
While the study’s findings could inform future anti-bullying strategies, for now they are a mere chilling peek-a-boo into the world of baby bullies, and how infants learn to make their way in the world.
Can Genetics Influence Childhood Bullying?
A 2013 study led by Michel Boivin, a psychology professor at Université Laval, explored how genetics may influence children’s experiences with bullying and social exclusion.
The research suggested that certain genetically influenced behaviors can affect how children interact with their peers. Children who display more disruptive or aggressive behavior may face greater difficulties forming positive relationships and may be more likely to experience rejection or victimization.
The findings highlighted the relationship between children’s behavioral tendencies and their social experiences, suggesting that both genetic influences and peer interactions play a role in childhood bullying.
Source: Canadian Press, January 2013
Research Links
Not Like Me = Bad: Infants Prefer Those Who Harm Dissimilar Others
Hamlin and colleagues, 2013 · Psychological Science
Researchers found that nine- and fourteen-month-old infants tended to prefer puppet characters that helped similar others and harmed dissimilar others. This does not establish that infants understand bullying in the way older children do.
Evidence of Gene–Environment Correlation for Peer Difficulties
Boivin and colleagues, 2013 · Development and Psychopathology
This twin study examined associations between genetically influenced disruptive behaviors and difficulties in peer relationships. It does not mean that children are genetically destined to be bullied.
Understanding the Roots of Bullying
These studies offer an interesting look at how early social preferences develop and how genetics may influence children’s relationships with their peers. However, neither study establishes that bullying is inevitable or that children are born destined to become bullies or victims.
For Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle, understanding the roots of conflict has always been an important part of bullying prevention. His educational approach encourages young people to recognize conditioned patterns of thinking and develop greater awareness of how they respond to others.
Explore Dr. Webster-Doyle’s free bullying prevention resources or read his essay, Are We Born to Bully?, for more on his perspective.
