Bullying Feels Rewarding Because It Activates The Brain's Reward System

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that bullying triggers the brain's reward system, causing bullies to feel that their behavior is rewarding. The researchers' study was published in Nature.

"Our study is the first to demonstrate that bullying behavior activates a primary brain reward circuit that makes it pleasurable to a subset of individuals. Furthermore, we show that manipulating activity in this circuit alters the activity of brain cells and ultimately, aggression behavior," said Scott Russo, Ph.D., associate professor of Neuroscience, as per Medical News Today. Russo led the study.

Neuroscience of bullying: Why do some find it rewarding? https://t.co/kPdnTvvLwC

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Mice Used To Study Bullying

The researchers used a mouse behavioral model, according to Science World Report. Adult male mice were exposed to a younger subordinate mouse every day for three consecutive days. It turned out that 70 percent of the mice showed aggressive behavior while the rest did not show any aggressive behavior.

They found that the mice who exhibited bullying behavior developed a preference for the place where they had the chance to bully the younger mouse. This was said to signify that these mice found bullying as rewarding. The mice who did not show aggressive behavior developed an aversion for the environment where they could bully the subordinate mouse.

Bullying And The Brain

Researchers also looked into gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) projections. GABA is said to be an inhibitory neurotransmitter that makes surrounding neurons less active. According to Medical News Today, aggressive mice had increased activity in their GABA projection neurons that led to their lateral habenula, when given the chance to bully a younger mouse.

The lateral habenula causes aversion to aggressive stimuli. GABA projections in non-aggressive mice weakened, causing aversion to aggression to increase. Russo, in an interview with the Scientific American, said that he believes that basic understanding of brain circuits and neurotransmitters can be the foundation of new strategies to address violence and aggression.

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