The Surprising Question Children Base Important Life Decisions On

What do you want to be when you grow up? As an adult, you’re probably not what you imagined you’d be as a child. If you are, that’s great! But most people don’t grow up to be ballerinas or rock-stars or professional football players, etc… Yet, that is what young children base important life decisions, like whether or not to do homework, on according to a new study from the University of Michigan.

University of Michigan researchers Mesmin Destin and Daphna Oyserman asked 266 middle-school children where they saw themselves in 10 years and what job they will have as an adult. Destin and Oyserman found that although 90% of children expected to attend college, only 46% saw themselves using their college education in their career as an adult (e.g. doctor or lawyer vs. rock-star or basketball player). As a result, children who saw themselves having an education-related career spent more time on homework and got better grades over the course of the school year than children who didn’t think they would use their education in the future.

In a second study, Destin and Oyserman presented 295 students in a science class with information about earnings of either college-degree recipients or sports figures, actors, or musicians. The students then wrote down how they would spend their time that evening, choosing from studying, practicing sports, or going online. When the researchers left the classroom, the teacher assigned an extra-credit project for the next day. Children who watched the presentation about college-related earnings were 8 times as likely to do the extra-credit project than children who saw the presentation about college-independent earning potential.

“We find that very subtle cues can influence academic performance. Failing to see connections between adult identities and current actions puts children at risk of low effort in school. And waiting until low-income and minority children are in high school to make these connections increases the chance they’ll already be too far behind to make it to college,” the researchers explain.

So if you’re child is not doing much homework, ask them what they want to be when they grow up. If they have unrealistic goals for themselves, tell them the truth – that they are not likely to earn much from their career choice or any career choice unless they work really really hard. It’s better to tell them the truth now, than wait until reality hits them and it’s too late to make a change.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Did you achieve your dream?

Article image via spiffy baby.