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Hell hath no fury like a man scorned
For years men have held that "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".
But the old adage may not be true after all, say scientists. They have found men have a greater desire for revenge and take more pleasure in it.
Despite their renowned appetite for vengeance, women feel only empathy for their enemies, even when they are getting their just deserts. But men enjoy watching them suffer.
Researchers studied the reactions of 32 men and women playing an investment game.
The players gave money to one of two "bankers" who had the power to decide what share of the profits to give back.
One of the bankers had been briefed to short-change the investors, while the other was fair.
After the game, the investors were put in a brain scanner while they
watched the bankers being given a mild electric shock.
Their feelings for the bankers and their desir
e for revenge after being short-changed were logged. When the fair banker was shocked, the areas of the brain involved with empathy lit up in both sexes.
But when the short-changing banker was punished, men showed no empathy. Instead, the part of the brain responsible for feelings of satisfaction became active.
The men who most wanted revenge got the most satisfaction from seeing the wrongdoer's pain, the study by University College London found.
Forgiving women
But women took no satisfaction in the unfair banker's pain. They empathised with him - although to a lesser extent than when the innocent banker received a shock, the journal Nature reports today.
Psychologist Dr Tania Singer, who led the research, said: "These results suggest fairness in social situations shapes the nature of the emotional link we have to other people.
&q
uot;
We empathise with others if they co-operate and act fairly. But selfish, unfair behaviour compromises this empathic link.
"So, when the
unfair player received a painful shock, there was, at most, very little sign of anything registering in the empathy-related region of the men, as opposed to the reward-related area where there was activity.
"They expressed more desire for revenge and seemed to feel satisfaction when unfair people were given what they perceived as deserved physical punishment."
The satisfaction felt when others are punished - known as schadenfreude - has evolved over time, growing most keenly in men, who have been traditionally responsible for law and order, she said.
"This type of behaviour has probably been crucial in the evolution of society as the majority of people in a group are motivated to punish the rest," Dr Singer added.
"This altruistic behaviour means that people tend to protect each other against societ
y's
freeloaders and evolution has probably seeded this sense of justice and moral duty in our brains.
"These findings could indicate a predominant role for males in the maintenance of jus
tice and punishment in human societies."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...ge_id=1770&ct=5
Hell hath no fury like a man scorned
For years men have held that "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".
But the old adage may not be true after all, say scientists. They have found men have a greater desire for revenge and take more pleasure in it.
Despite their renowned appetite for vengeance, women feel only empathy for their enemies, even when they are getting their just deserts. But men enjoy watching them suffer.
Researchers studied the reactions of 32 men and women playing an investment game.
The players gave money to one of two "bankers" who had the power to decide what share of the profits to give back.
One of the bankers had been briefed to short-change the investors, while the other was fair.
After the game, the investors were put in a brain scanner while they
watched the bankers being given a mild electric shock.
Their feelings for the bankers and their desir
e for revenge after being short-changed were logged. When the fair banker was shocked, the areas of the brain involved with empathy lit up in both sexes.
But when the short-changing banker was punished, men showed no empathy. Instead, the part of the brain responsible for feelings of satisfaction became active.
The men who most wanted revenge got the most satisfaction from seeing the wrongdoer's pain, the study by University College London found.
Forgiving women
But women took no satisfaction in the unfair banker's pain. They empathised with him - although to a lesser extent than when the innocent banker received a shock, the journal Nature reports today.
Psychologist Dr Tania Singer, who led the research, said: "These results suggest fairness in social situations shapes the nature of the emotional link we have to other people.
&q
uot;
We empathise with others if they co-operate and act fairly. But selfish, unfair behaviour compromises this empathic link.
"So, when the
unfair player received a painful shock, there was, at most, very little sign of anything registering in the empathy-related region of the men, as opposed to the reward-related area where there was activity.
"They expressed more desire for revenge and seemed to feel satisfaction when unfair people were given what they perceived as deserved physical punishment."
The satisfaction felt when others are punished - known as schadenfreude - has evolved over time, growing most keenly in men, who have been traditionally responsible for law and order, she said.
"This type of behaviour has probably been crucial in the evolution of society as the majority of people in a group are motivated to punish the rest," Dr Singer added.
"This altruistic behaviour means that people tend to protect each other against societ
y's
freeloaders and evolution has probably seeded this sense of justice and moral duty in our brains.
"These findings could indicate a predominant role for males in the maintenance of jus
tice and punishment in human societies."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...ge_id=1770&ct=5
