Does your kid come home from school a little down? Kind of sad? Oh, man, you're so lucky! That little genius is going to Harvard!
A recent study has found that sad kids out-perform happy ones in tasks where attention to detail is required, which pretty much kicks in the pants the notion that happy kids make better learners.
But all is not lost for your Little Miss Sunshine. She outperforms the Debbie Downers in creative thinking.
Said one of the researchers (via Science Daily):
"Happiness indicates that things are going well, which leads to a
global, top-down style of information processing. Sadness indicates
that something is amiss, triggering detail-orientated, analytical
processing.
"However, it is important to emphasize that existing research shows
there are contexts in which a positive mood is beneficial for a child,
such as when a task calls for creative thinking. But this particular
research demonstrates that when attention to detail is required, it may
do more harm than good."
So, go ahead and send the kids off to school in tears. I mean, you want what's best for them, right?
Photo: scottcounseling.com
