Fostering Positive Changes in Health and Social Relationships in Children

Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated that altruism and gratitude may confer beneficial effects on psychophysical wellbeing. The present chapter describes how positive changes in health and social relationships can be fostered in 6- to 9-year-old children when participating in positive interventions. The findings show that the experience of working with others to attain shared goals and focusing on gratefulness positively modulated altruism and social interactions among peers, highlighting the great behavioural plasticity of children. Moreover, interventions involving cooperative playing not only increased positive relationships but also contributed to a decrease in chronic stress levels. The positive outcomes of participating in the described interventions were assessed by means of quantitative methods, such as physiological parameters, sociometric measures, and tests of altruism, the use of which, to our knowledge, has not been thoroughly explored in children. The present findings tie in well with the hypothesis that altruism is an embodied and situated human resource, which can convey intrinsic benefits. Furthermore, results from the studies mentioned indicate that positive transformations can be easily fostered through the performance of this type of intervention. Given that schools provide a stimulating environment that significantly influences children’s development, our findings highlight the benefits of working in this way to promote positivity in formal educational contexts, which could certainly contribute to the enhancement of individual and social well-being.