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aggression

This shows the outline of a head and brain. There are children running in the background.

·July 26, 2025·3 min read

Childhood Trauma May Rewire Brain for Lifelong Aggression

Aggression isn’t just a behavioral issue—it has deep neurobiological roots, especially when shaped by early-life trauma. New research is investigating how childhood adversity rewires brain circuits that control emotion, memory, and attention, increasing the risk of impulsive and pathological aggression.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 23, 2025·6 min read

What Drives Women to Kill? Emotion & Threat, Not Psychopathy

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 women had a severe mental disorder, and these women showed slightly more short-term planning but still high emotional arousal.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 21, 2025·3 min read

Right-Sided Brain Pathway Linked to Social Dominance

A new study uncovers how brain anatomy relates to social dominance in primates. Researchers found that the uncinate fasciculus, a tract tied to emotion and memory, strongly correlated with dominance behaviors in squirrel monkeys. This link was especially pronounced in the right hemisphere, aligning with human findings on social aggression.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 17, 2025·3 min read

Toxoplasma Parasite Influences Personality and Aggression

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 aggression.

This shows Macaque monkeys watching a video on a laptop.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 10, 2025·6 min read

Familiar Faces and Fights: What Monkeys Like to Watch Most

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 in fighting, grooming, running, or sitting, and found they spent the most time watching aggressive encounters.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 24, 2025·4 min read

Choose Your Battles: Identity Shapes Displaced Aggression

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 seeing a rival behind a barrier showed increased aggression only when the rival was unfamiliar or lacked a clear social hierarchy.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·April 29, 2025·6 min read

Vasopressin Boosts Social Skills Without Aggression in Autism

New research shows that supplementing vasopressin levels in low-social rhesus monkeys improves social behavior and facial recognition without triggering aggression. The findings suggest vasopressin deficiency may underlie social difficulties seen in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 26, 2025·4 min read

How Oxytocin Tames “Mean Girl” Behavior

A new study finds that in some lemur species, evolving gender equality is linked to changes in the brain’s oxytocin system. Researchers compared seven closely related species, finding that more egalitarian species had higher numbers of oxytocin receptors, particularly in the amygdala.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 22, 2025·6 min read

Dopamine Drives Aggression Learning in Males

New research reveals that dopamine plays a crucial role in teaching young male mice to fight, with the chemical’s influence diminishing as they gain experience. In novice fighters, boosting dopamine increased aggression, while blocking it stopped them from fighting.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 2, 2024·5 min read

How Alcohol Increases Pain Tolerance, and Aggression

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 willing to inflict painful shocks on others.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·November 29, 2024·4 min read

Family History of Mental Illness Increases Aggression Risk in CTE

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 40 and 59. Researchers analyzed data from 845 men with histories of head injuries, finding that those with both CTE and a family history of mental illness displayed significantly more aggressive behaviors than those with only one risk factor.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 21, 2024·6 min read

Frequent Snoring in Teens Linked to Behavior Issues

Adolescents who snore frequently are more likely to show behavioral issues such as inattention, rule-breaking, and aggression, but their cognitive abilities, including memory and language skills, remain unaffected, a new study reveals. Researchers analyzed data from nearly 12,000 children in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, the largest U.S. brain development project. They found snoring rates naturally declined as children aged, even without treatment, but persistent snorers showed behavioral difficulties that might be mistaken for ADHD.