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Aggression as rewarding as sex, food and drugs (1/15/2008)
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| Scientists find that brain rewards aggressive behavior similarly to the way it rewards for ingesting sex, food and drugs. |
New research from Vanderbilt University shows for the first time that the brain processes aggression as a reward - much like sex, food and drugs - offering insights into our propensity to fight and our fascination with violent sports like boxing and football.
The research will be published online the week of Jan. 14 by the journal Psychopharmacology.
"Aggression occurs among virtually all vertebrates and is necessary to get and keep important resources such as mates, territory and food," Craig Kennedy, professor of special education and pediatrics, said. "We have found that the 'reward pathway' in the brain becomes engaged in response to an aggressive event and that dopamine is involved."
"It is well known that dopamine is produced in response to rewarding stimuli such as food, sex and drugs of abuse," Maria Couppis, who conducted the study as her doctoral thesis at Vanderbilt, said. "What we have now found is that it also serves as positive reinforcement for aggression."
For the experiments, a pair of mice - one male, one female - was kept in one cage and five intruder" mice were kept in a separate cage. The female mouse was temporarily removed, and an intruder mouse was introduced in its place, triggering an aggressive response by the "home" male mouse. Aggressive behavior included tail rattle, an aggressive sideways stance, boxing and biting.
The home mouse was then trained to poke a target with its nose to get the intruder to return, at which point it again behaved aggressively toward it. The home mouse consistently poked the trigger, which was presented once a day, indicating it experienced the aggressive encounter with the intruder as a reward.
The same home mice were then treated with a drug that suppressed their dopamine receptors. After this treatment, they decreased the frequency with which they instigated the intruder's entry.
In a separate experiment, the mice were treated with the dopamine receptor suppressors again and their movements in an open cage were observed. They showed no significant changes in overall movement compared to times when they had not received the drugs. This was done to demonstrate that their decreased aggression in the previous experiment was not caused by overall lethargy in response to the drug, a problem that had confounded previous experiments.
The Vanderbilt experiments are the first to demonstrate a link between behavior and the activity of dopamine receptors in response to an aggressive event.
"We learned from these experiments that an individual will intentionally seek out an aggressive encounter solely because they experience a rewarding sensation from it," Kennedy said. "This shows for the first time that aggression, on its own, is motivating, and that the well-known positive reinforcer dopamine plays a critical role."
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Vanderbilt University
Comments:
| 1. |
Wayne |
1/27/2008 3:38:39 PM MST |
I feel so much better after I've aggessed someone. I thought it was just me. Now I know it is backed up scientifically. I was sitting here kind of glum. I think I'll go aggress someone. Now where can I find a wimp? I almost aggressed a motorcycle gang member once (got my cart before my horse) and that didn't work out so well. Silly me! |
| 2. |
puttputt |
1/28/2008 1:38:24 AM MST |
Nuking the world into oblivion must the ultimate reward. I see we have a problem with our brains. |
| 3. |
Andrew |
2/8/2008 11:10:28 AM MST |
Wayne and puttputt you are both idiots. |
| 4. |
Tom |
2/8/2008 8:39:04 PM MST |
Haha, no puttputt, that would be over too fast. You would quickly lose the rewarding effect. However, if one were to punch the entire world's population to death one by one over their lifetime, that would undoubtedly keep a steady flow of dopamine going in your brain. So basically true happiness can only be achieved by the likes of chuck norris. |
| 5. |
Dave |
2/8/2008 11:46:57 PM MST |
So basically just so we understand this is not a "pro violence" stance taken here, simply an interesting fact. that being said sooner or later we'll be able to edit this out of the gene pool (for the positive and probably major negative effects it could potentially have.) For the time being we all need to seek NON-DESTRUCTIVE, outlets for this aggression and understand that it's simply a part of life, so let's start abrawlin. |
| 6. |
Kylie |
2/23/2008 6:20:24 PM MST |
I have to say I've never experienced that. Any type of confrontation leaves me feeling nauseated for about a week. What the hell is wrong with my dopamine receptors??? |
| 7. |
lonnie |
3/22/2008 2:01:45 AM MST |
Being aggressive is akin to violence! I think that physical behavior is more healthy for your hole body, mind included. When you project aggression, believe me to will get a hole lot of aggression. Maybe a lot more than you can handle. |
| 8. |
Vierielup |
3/21/2011 1:53:00 AM MST |
Great job but I want to know if you can write a litte on this issue? I will be very grateful if you could develop a little further. Thank you!
My partner and I just love reading this blog, I know you want to do business only selected articles? I always try to find someone to trade, just thought I would ask.
Usually I do not see the article on the blog, but I want to say, this forced me to write to try and do it very! Your writing style has surprised me. Thank you, very good job.
This is what I need to find more information, many thanks for the release.
I really like the theme design of your website. Have you met any browser compatibility issues? On my blog a few passengers complained that my blog does not work, but in Explorer to find great drama. Do you have any suggestions to help solve this problem?
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| 9. |
KarlySolak
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4/30/2011 10:17:13 PM MST |
Assertiveness is state of self-confidence wherein 1 is bold, direct and largely confident with others. Numerous occasions assertiveness gets confused with aggression. This leads to mishaps like snubbing other people on the wrong website, thereby creating a negative impact. For this reason, it is important to recognize how to be assertive specifically at the perform spot. Being assertive can showcase a much more proactive and confident person.
Assertiveness is important in the workplace where colleagues and managers can make unreasonable requests or demands on your time – top to stress, depression and anxiousness. This in turn leads to aggression, aloofness and attrition. Quite typically, it can even ruin very good profession prospects.
Why Assertiveness is perceived to be hard
Men and women have a tendency to be hesitant to assert themselves for the following factors:
They really feel anxious that it would attract dislike from other people
This misconception is most likely what prevents most individuals from becoming assertive. We all strive to be accepted and liked by others. We search up to men and women who can make their presence felt. Several individuals have a sphere of influence, wherein their opinions are accounted and accepted.
The only way this can take place is via their assertiveness. It helps them get their suggestions across, and with a small bit of convincing, everyone sees good judgement in their view. Individuals tend to respect those have the potential to be assertive, not aggressive.
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