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aggression

This shows Macaque monkeys watching a video on a laptop.

·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.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 18, 2024·3 min read

Study Debunks Heart Rate Variability as Predictor of Aggression

New research has found no evidence linking heart rate variability (HRV) to reactive aggression, overturning previous theories. HRV measures the variation between heartbeats and has been associated with stress resilience, but this study shows it is not a reliable biomarker for aggression.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 11, 2024·5 min read

Mental Exhaustion Drives Aggressive Behavior

Prolonged mental fatigue can lead to increased aggression and uncooperative behavior due to changes in the brain’s frontal cortex. This area, crucial for decision-making, starts to show “local sleep” activity patterns, typically associated with rest.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 28, 2024·5 min read

Prenatal Cannabis Use Linked to Child Aggression and Cognitive Deficits

Prenatal exposure to cannabis can negatively impact children’s thinking and behavioral skills, including impulse control, attention, and aggression, which are key for academic and social success. The study observed preschool-aged children with prenatal cannabis exposure and found they showed poorer control over impulses and emotions.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 24, 2024·15 min read

Brain Signals Reveal How Aggression and Arousal Are Encoded

New research has uncovered that brain signals for aggression in male mice and sexual arousal in female mice are encoded by similar neural mechanisms. The studies found that a specific type of neural signal, called a line attractor, represents the intensity and persistence of these emotional states.