Researchers from Mount Sinai
Hospital, New York, found the brains of mouse bullies activated a reward
synapse when they showed aggression to weaker mice
Friday 1 July 2016
Bullies’ brains are wired to get
enjoyment from picking on victims, scientists have found.
The research claims that bullying
is motivated by a neurological disorder, whereby the brain activates a reward
response to aggressive activity.
Behavioural experiments on mice
found that those who acted aggressively toward inferior mice developed a
preference for bullying over non-aggression, suggesting that they found the
ability to subordinate another mouse rewarding.
Dr Scott Russo, from Mount Sinai
Hospital, who lead the research said the unique study is the “first to
demonstrate that bullying behaviour activates a primary brain reward circuit
that makes it pleasurable to a subset of individuals".
The report says that the
activation of the brain reward circuit is caused by the projection of a
neurotransmitter which reduces activity in the part of the brain that usually
creates an aversion to violence.
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