Food Insecurity Affects Shame in Children

Abstract

Shame helps cement social cooperation, in part by triggering facial expressions that provide biological “honest signals” recovering trust. The variability of feelings of shame among children and its relationship with food insecurity and happiness were assessed using questionnaires filled by children. The strongest feeling of shame in children was being seen naked in public (Shame-naked). Severe levels of shamefulness when others noticed the child’s lack of available food (Shame-food) were correlated with higher food insecurity. Children that had an abnormally low Body Mass Index showed reduced shamefulness of Shame-naked. Maximum reported Shame-naked occurred at ages around puberty and girls reported more shamefulness than boys. Happiness was affected by aspects of food security of the child. Results suggest the existence of at least two types of shame that are affected in different ways by environmental conditions: Shame to be seen naked that is negatively correlated with Body Mass Index; and shame related to interactions with peers that correlates positively with Food Insecurity. This suggests that shame is an evolutionary adaptation, malleable by environmental conditions, fomenting fidelity among reproductive couples, stabilizing families in the long term and eventually enhancing trust and social cohesiveness.