Study Reveals Women’s Tears Reduce Aggression in Men
A recent study finds that women’s tears consist of chemicals that have a significant impact on reducing aggressive behavior in men. The research utilized a two-player game that was designed to incite aggressive behavior in men, who unknowingly inhaled either women’s tears or saline solution.
Key Findings
- There was a dramatic 40% reduction in aggressive behavior in men who were exposed to women’s tears.
- Brain imaging presented a decrease in activity in areas related to aggression when men inhaled women’s tears.
- The results indicate evidence of social chemosignaling, a phenomenon commonly observed in animals and now in humans, affecting human aggression.
The research, led by Shani Agron of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, was published in the open access journal PLOS Biology. The study demonstrates that inhaling tears led to reduced brain activity related to aggression, resulting in less aggressive behavior.
Details of the Study
It’s well-known that in rodents their aggressive behavior is suppressed when they smell female tears. Research conducted on men, who participated in an aggressive-inducing game, revealed a more than 40% decrease in revenge actions after inhaling women’s emotional tears.
When the experiment was repeated in an MRI scanner, functional imaging showcased two brain regions associated with aggression—the prefrontal cortex and anterior insula. These regions were not as active in the same situations after the men inhaled the tears.
Conclusions
The study suggests the existence of social chemosignaling in human aggression and refutes the idea that emotional tears are exclusive to humans. Furthermore, the data suggests that just like in the case of mice, human tears contain a chemical signal that blocks conspecific male aggression.
Credit for the Study
The research was published by PLOS, and the author of the research news was Claire Turner.
Personal Reflection
As a psychiatrist, it’s fascinating to see such biological connections between emotional expression and behavioral response. This opens up new realms for understanding human behavior and presents potential therapeutic strategies for managing aggressive behavior.
Dr Sophia Johnson, MD, Cure of Mind