Inside the Brain of a Bully
November 11, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research shows the bully on the playground may actually be wired to enjoy the pain they cause in others.
Testing with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed the parts of the brain associated with rewards reacted when aggressive teens watched a video clip of someone intentionally inflicting pain upon another person. This was not observed in youth without unusually aggressive behavior.
“Aggressive adolescents showed a specific and very strong activation of the amygdala and ventral striatum (an area that responds to feeling rewarded) when watching pain inflicted on others, which suggested that they enjoyed watching pain,” Jean Decety, Professor in Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Chicago, was quoted as saying.
Researchers say this shows an aggressive teen’s natural empathetic response may be disrupted to instead respond in ways that increase aggression.
“This work will help us better understand ways to work with juveniles inclined to aggression and violence,” Dr. Decety said.
SOURCE: Biological Psychology, 2008
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