A study from the University of Chicago indicates that teenagers with histories of violent behavior get pleasure from watching others suffer.
"They're not only indifferent to pain - they love it," said Dr. Benjamin Lahey, lead author of the study.
Dr. Lahey and his colleagues used MRI scans to monitor brain activity of sixteen boys, ages 16 to 18 years old. Half had histories of aggression and violence, such as using weapons, stealing or starting fights, and the other half did not. Both groups watched videos of one person inflicting pain on another while they were hooked up to the brain scanning devices. The amgydala and ventral striati (the two parts of the brain linked to feelings of reward) of the aggressive teens became very active when they watched the videos. The differences between the two groups were significant, Dr. Lahey said, but he noted that the study was small.
Dr. Lahey said these results mean that the aggressive teens "experience seeing pain in others as exciting, fun and pleasurable." He and his colleagues had been expecting to find that aggressive teens were cold and indifferent to the pain of others, and not that they enjoy watching it.
This study appeared on the website of the journal Biological Psychology.
Labels: ethics, mental_health, violence