# Young dictators—Speaking about oneself decreases generosity in children from two cultural contexts

## TL;DR

Talking about oneself makes children less generous, regardless of their cultural background.

## Contribution

Self-priming reduces generosity in children from both India and the UK.

## Key findings

- Self-focused conversations decreased children's generosity in both cultural groups.
- Other-focused conversations had no significant effect on generosity.
- Generosity levels were similar between Indian and UK children.

## Abstract

Sharing of resources is a common feature of human societies. Yet, there is substantial societal variation in children’s generosity, and this variation emerges during middle childhood. Societal differences in self-construal orientation may be one factor influencing the ontogeny of generosity. Here, we examine anonymous Dictator Game sharing in 7-and-8-year-olds from two distinct societies: India and the UK (N = 180). We used self-construal manipulations to investigate whether priming self- or other-focused conversations would differentially influence children’s generosity. There were no differences in generosity between populations. While a significant reduction in generosity was found following self-priming in both societies, other-priming was ineffectual. The findings are discussed in relation to experimental features and the role of anonymity and reputational concerns.