NAUGHTY OR NICE?

He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice, he’s going to find out who’s naughty or nice. Ciaran Sneddon seeks out the science behind Santa’s end-of-year report.

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Have you ever stopped to wonder what makes someone naughty or nice? During the run-up to Christmas you might hear those words being used a lot. Some people even say that any bad behaviour could land you on Santa’s naughty list, and that he has special powers that can work out if you’ve been well behaved. The only problem is deciding what is wrong and what is right is not always as simple as it sounds. Is there any science Father Christmas can use to make writing his list a bit fairer? Let’s find out.

Santa

Santa’s system Nobody wants to be in Santa’s bad books. Depending on where you live in the world, you’ll find yourself receiving a lump of coal (UK), a straw goat (Sweden), no gifts at all, being whipped with twigs (Austria, Czech Republic), or put into a sack and taken to Spain (Holland). It seems simple enough – good behaviour brings nice presents, but break too many rules and you get nothing – but is the system fair? What if being naughty isn’t a choice but a natural behaviour?

Psychologists (scientists who study the human mind and behaviour) have specifically looked into the question of why some people are more disobedient and mischievous than others. The answer, it seems, could lie in the brain.

Mind business