Study Examines Impact of Violent Media on the Brain

A recent study published in PLOS One found that each person’s reaction to violent images depends on that individual’s brain circuitry, and on how aggressive they were initially. The study, led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the NIH Intramural Program, featured brain scans that revealed that both watching and not watching violent images caused different brain activity in people with different aggression levels. A group of 54 men were split by the research team into two groups — one with individuals possessing aggressive traits and a second group without these tendencies. The participants’ brains were then scanned as they watched a succession of violent scenes on day one, emotional, but non-violent scenes on day two, and nothing on day three. The scans measured the subjects’ brain metabolic activity; participants also had their blood pressure taken every five minutes, and were asked how they were feeling at 15-minute intervals. The aggressive subjects described feeling more inspired and determined and less upset or nervous than non-aggressive participants when watching violent (day 1) versus just emotional (day 2) media. In line with these responses, while watching the violent media, aggressive participants’ blood pressure went down progressively with time, while the non-aggressive participants experienced a rise in blood pressure. “How an individual responds to their environment depends on the brain of the beholder,” said lead investigator Nelly Alia-Klein, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience and psychiatry. “Aggression is a trait that develops together with the nervous system over time starting from childhood.” To learn more about the study, click here.