Playing with dolls activates empathy and social collaboration in children — a fact demonstrated by a study conducted by neuroscientists at Cardiff University, commissioned by Barbie, and conducted on 27 boys and 22 girls between the ages of 4 and 8. 

At Pitti Bimbo, Barbie presents for the first time in Italy the results of this multi-year study, in conversation with educational expert Annalisa Falcone and speech therapist Deborah Auteri. Scheduled for Wednesday, June 25 at 2.00pm (Lounge & Events Area).

The results showed that playing with dolls activates brain regions associated with the processing of social information, such as empathy, thus demonstrating that playing with dolls can enable children to practise these skills even when playing alone, and that relational and emotional skills related to empathy are key determinants of children's future emotional, academic and social development.

Barbie has been committed to investing resources in this research for years, and for the first time in Italy, it wants to publicise these surprising results concerning playing with dolls and its effects on children.

Parents and caregivers can visit barbie.com/benefits to find out more about the research and access resources.