Visiting Santa: a supplemental view

Psychol Rep. 2008 Dec;103(3):691-4. doi: 10.2466/pr0.103.3.691-694.

Abstract

Four recent informal successive yearly enquiries of the emotions of 1,050 children (total) immediately before their visit with Santa Claus at a shopping mall suggested that about 80% displayed facial expressions, judged by an observer, as indicating indifference. To investigate possible change in emotions of children immediately after their visit with Santa, this study was conducted in 2007. Of the 280 exiting children observed, about 60% appeared to be indifferent.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Arousal
  • Child, Preschool
  • Emotions*
  • Facial Expression*
  • Fantasy*
  • Female
  • Holidays*
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Male
  • Motivation
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual*
  • Personality Assessment
  • Social Perception*