College students may not spend a lot of time with their parents, but that doesn't mean they don't love them.
UCLA researchers looked at 174 people ages 18 to 30, and had them play a series of games in which they'd earn points toward helping a friend or parent of their choosing.
Before the games began, all were given a survey about the parent or friend they were playing for.
On paper, participants seemed to feel more strongly about their friends, but the actual results showed something much different.
When participants had the opportunity to earn additional points they were 25 percent more likely to try and do so when they intended to use their winnings to help their parents.
Study author Joao Moreira said participants tended to say things like "'Even thought it was hard not to pay as much attention to my friend, I felt like I owed it to my parent, who has helped me so much."