Dopamine related to Aggression
Researchers of the Vanderbilt University have found that dopamine release is involved to aggression. This means that the reward system plays a role here
According to Mr. Kennedy, one of the researchers:
“We learned from these experiments that an individual will intentionally seek out an aggressive encounter solely because they experience a rewarding sensation from it, […] 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.”
Subjects of the experiments were, of course, mice in a cage. When confronted with ‘intruder’ mice our mouse poked their noses. Later on, as he had learned that he could make the intruders appear by pressing a button, he did so over and over again. He was deliberately seeking aggressive behavior.
Why is this GC news? Well, I think that understanding aggression at a physiological level is important. A lot of the bad things done to our planet are best to be described as raw aggression. Maybe the big oil drillers and forest roders should be medicated with dopamine reception inhibitors?