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Spanking kids makes them act worse
Parents, please note — spanking children may backfire in the long run, says a study which has found that smacking reduces a kid’s emotional intelligence and even worsens his or her behaviour.
Parents, please note — spanking children may backfire in the long run, says a study which has found that smacking reduces a kid’s emotional intelligence and even worsens his or her behaviour.
Researchers have found smacking kids, instead of using non-physical punishments, reduces their emotional intelligence and “executive functioning ability” which allows people to think on the spot and modify their behaviour when necessary.
Continued corporal punishment could lead to poorer discipline among kids subjected to it, by lowering their executive functioning ability, say the researchers.
While they may comply with rules in the short term to avoid getting beaten, in the long term they’ll fail to take them on board or understand the reasons why the exist, ‘The Daily Telegraph’ reported.
Lead researcher Prof Victoria Talwar of McGill University in Montreal, said: “This study demonstrates that corporal punishment does not teach children how to behave or improve their learning.
“In the short term, it may not have any negative effects, but if relied upon over time it does not support children’s problem-solving skills, or their abilities to inhibit inappropriate behaviour or to learn.”
