Psychologists have determined the average age at which children begin to stop believing in the existence of Santa Claus and which children are more prone to the risk of harboring negative feelings when they realize that his existence is no longer indisputable, reports Guardian.

Many children continue to believe in Santa Claus, even if the idea of ​​one man visiting the homes of billions of children in one night defies their broader reasoning abilities.

Dr. Candice Mills, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Dallas, USA, who is a skeptic of the existence of Santa Claus, said: “Children usually begin to distinguish between fantasy and reality in preschool age, but their belief in the existence of the magic of Santa Claus often lasts until middle childhood.”

Mills became interested in this problem when she became a mother herself and found herself “immersed in the world of promoting Santa.”

She says the topic began to stress her out because “we often encourage our children to think scientifically rather than deceive others.”

“I was worried that my kids might think I was a liar because I knew I would feel upset when they lied to me about ‘Santa.’

To better understand this transition from belief in the reality of Santa to skepticism and childhood experiences, Mills and her colleagues surveyed 48 children ages six to 15 who had stopped believing in Santa Claus, 44 of their parents, and 383 adults.

The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that disbelief gradually creeps in for most children around the age of eight, although some children were convinced that Santa Claus did not exist by the age of three or four, while other children believed in him by age 15. -16 years. In many cases, being told by others that Santa Claus does not exist has completely destroyed their faith.

“Maybe they had some skepticism based on logical reasoning — like, how can Santa really go around the world in one night? – but what throws them into the lap of disbelief is a classmate saying it’s not real,” says Mills.

Can the realization that Santa Claus does not exist shake the confidence of parents?

About a third of children and half of adults reported some negative emotions when they heard a rumor that Santa Claus doesn’t exist.

Although these feelings were usually mild and short-lived, about 10 percent of adults reported longer-term sadness or decreased trust in their parents afterward.

Such feelings were usually associated with the sudden knowledge of his non-existence or direct information that Santa Claus does not exist, making the discovery at an older age and having parents who strongly supported the existence of Santa Claus, for example by filming him in your living room or creating whole skits to convince them of its existence.

However, there were also many children who reported feeling happy or relieved when they stopped believing in Santa Claus. “It was like solving a mystery,” Mills said.

Some children may be more sensitive to lies than others, she added.

One of the adults he interviewed said he felt very betrayed by his parents because they had taught him not to lie, but they did.

“In such cases, parents can soften the blow by being aware of their child’s feelings and talking about why they have included Santa Claus in their holiday traditions.”