Key Questions Answered Q: How common are murder-suicide events in the U.S.?A: The study found an average of 820 deaths per year from murder-suicide events—higher than previous estimates. Q: Who…
Tag: aggression
Oxytocin May Treat the Social Deficits of Psychopathy
Key Questions Answered Q: How does psychopathy affect emotion recognition?A: Individuals with psychopathic traits—especially those high in Factor 1—struggle to recognize negative facial expressions like fear and sadness, often showing…
Childhood Trauma May Rewire Brain for Lifelong Aggression
Key Questions Answered: Q: What brain region is being studied to understand aggression?A: Researchers are focusing on the thalamic nucleus reuniens, which connects memory, emotion, and decision-making areas of the…
What Drives Women to Kill? Emotion & Threat, Not Psychopathy
Summary: Women who commit lethal violence rarely display psychopathy, instead acting out of provocation and perceived threats. A 15-year Swedish study of 175 cases found that about half of the…
Toxoplasma Parasite Influences Personality and Aggression
Summary: New research highlights how parasitic infections can alter brain chemistry and behavior in humans. Toxoplasma gondii, among others, appears to manipulate dopamine and immune responses, increasing risk-taking, impulsivity, and…
Familiar Faces and Fights: What Monkeys Like to Watch Most
Summary: A new study reveals that long-tailed macaques, like humans, are most captivated by videos featuring social conflict and familiar group members. Researchers showed the macaques videos of monkeys engaged…
Choose Your Battles: Identity Shapes Displaced Aggression
Summary: Displaced aggression—redirecting frustration onto an uninvolved target—has now been studied in mice, revealing that identity and social history play key roles in shaping aggressive behavior. Male mice primed by…
How Alcohol Increases Pain Tolerance, and Aggression
Summary: Alcohol not only raises pain tolerance but also amplifies aggression, according to a new study. Researchers found that participants who drank alcohol had higher pain thresholds and were more…
Family History of Mental Illness Increases Aggression Risk in CTE
Summary: A new study reveals that individuals with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and a family history of mental illness have a heightened risk of aggression during adulthood, particularly between ages…
