For more than a century scientists have studied how the Santa myth affects children.  Finding no detriment to their development, researchers have found an increase in parents willing to perpetuate the myth for their children’s happiness.

Psycho-education professor Larivee at the University of Montreal describes the myth as a rite of passage, describing the participation of older children in going along with the “game” for the sake of younger siblings who still believe.  Larivee and his colleagues are readdressing older studies on Santa Claus as they investigate the nature of belief in God, something that usually survives the adult approach to reason while Santa Claus does not.

The original study regarding the perpetuation of the Santa myth occurred in 1896 and was repeated in 1979 and 2000. Only 54 percent of parents said they continue the myth to make their children happy, but in 1979 it was 73 percent of parents and 80 percent in 2000.

In 1896 only 25 percent of children learned the truth from their parents, the others finding it out from other children. In 1979 this figure was 40 percent, with most children discerning the truth on their own through questioning the possibility of flying reindeer and a fat man falling down and up a chimney, and then confirming their suspicions with their parents.

In 1980, another study found that half of children aged 7 still believe in Santa, an age that researchers say is not old enough to discern the line between reality and myth.