Category: Psychology

How the Brain Picks Punishments

The Gas Chamber used for hydrogen cyanide poisoning punishment.
The Gas Chamber used for hydrogen cyanide poisoning punishment.

Burn him? Hang him? Or let him go? New research illuminates how the human brain decides the severity of a criminal’s punishment, scientists say.

Several brain regions do battle in determining the appropriate level of justice, depending on the person’s level of guilt, a study has found.

Often, people demand swift and severe punishment, particularly when the crime involves bodily harm to others and is relayed in gruesome detail. Yet certain brain regions can override this gut emotional response when the harm was not intentional, regardless of how shocking the incident was.

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Gentler Personalities Fueled Evolutionary Link to Modern Humanity

Human Evolution by David Gifford
Human Evolution by David Gifford

Anthropologists tell us that although modern humans developed about 200,000 years ago, the advancement to modern societal characteristics occurred only 50,000 years ago.

This is when humans began making art and creating advanced tools.

A new study finds that the change in cultural activities was associated with a change in human anatomy as skulls changed in ways that indicate a lowering of testosterone levels.

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Are You Raising Nice Kids? 5 Ways To Raise Them To Be Kind

kids-playing nicely

Earlier this year, I wrote about teaching empathy, and whether you are a parent who does so. The idea behind it is from Richard Weissbourd, a Harvard psychologist with the graduate school of education, who runs theMaking Caring Common project, aimed to help teach kids to be kind.

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Childhood Abuse Effects How Genes Are Activated

Children who have been abused or neglected early in life are at risk for developing both emotional and physical health problems. In a new study, scientists have found that maltreatment affects the way genes are activated, which has implications for children's long-term development. Credit: © olesiabilkei / Fotolia
Children who have been abused or neglected early in life are at risk for developing both emotional and physical health problems. In a new study, scientists have found that maltreatment affects the way genes are activated, which has implications for children’s long-term development. Credit: © olesiabilkei / Fotolia

In a new study, researchers found that maltreatment affects the way children’s genes are activated, which has implications for their long-term development and health. The researchers examined DNA methylation, a biomechanical mechanism that helps cells control which genes are turned on or off, in the blood of 56 children ages 11 to 14. Disruptions in this system affect emotional behavior, stress levels, and the immune system.

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