One in four kids turns into a cynic candy stealer when traditional Halloween trick or treat is going on, study said.

According to an old study conducted by psychologists in 1976, 31% of kids in Halloween are likely to steal candy and even money.

Psychologists ran an experiment among 1000 kids that went out on trick-or-treat activities during Halloween.

A woman would be prepared as a common resident in a neighborhood, where kids started to show up asking for candy.

"She would then excuse herself, saying she was busy and invited each child to take only one piece of candy," study pointed out. "There was also an unsupervised bowl left out with nickels and dimes in it.

Most children, around 69%, took only one piece of candy and 31% picked up more than they were requested.

"Of those who stole, 65% took an extra candy, 13% pocketed some of the change and the rest took both," study reported.

One other interesting finding was that kids who went out in groups were about twice as likely to steal additional candy as those who went alone.

"In 85% of the cases, kids would mimic the behavior of others taking more than requested," study added.

When the women would ask the kids for their name, most of the children stopped stealing when left alone with the goods.