Summary: A new study shows that bullying activates distress pathways in the brain within seconds. Tweens and adults who viewed first-person bullying videos displayed heightened activity in social and emotional brain networks, alongside strong autonomic threat responses.
Eye-tracking and pupil-size measures confirmed increased emotional arousal and attention toward bullying scenes. These responses were even stronger in participants with past bullying experiences, highlighting how bullying primes the brain for heightened stress that can harm both mental and physical health.
Key Facts
- Rapid Alarm: Bullying immediately activates emotional and social brain networks.
- Body Response: Autonomic threat systems trigger distress and heightened arousal.
- Lasting Impact: Past victims show stronger alarm responses, linking bullying to long-term health risks.
Source: SfN
In a collaboration between Turun yliopisto and the University of Turku, researchers led by Birgitta Paranko and Lauri Nummenmaa explored the immediate effects of bullying on the brain.
As reported in their Journal of Neuroscience paper, the researchers measured neural and attentional responses while tweens (aged 11 to 14) and adults watched first-person videos of either people being bullied or more positive social interactions.
For participants of all ages, bullying triggered distressful alarm states, activating social and emotional brain networks as well as autonomic threat response systems.
Measuring eye-tracking responses and pupil sizes in a separate group of adults during video viewing supported these findings, showing stronger emotional and attentional responses to bullying than other social interactions.
The researchers also discovered that these neural responses and alarm states were linked to viewers having previous real-life experiences being victims of bullying.
In sum, says Nummenmaa, “We mapped distress pathways in the brain that may be promptly engaged when someone gets bullied, and showed that the continuous alarm state is hazardous for both mental and somatic health due to the increased autonomic activation.”
About this neuroscience and bullying research news
Author: SfN Media
Source: SfN
Contact: SfN Media – SfN
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: The findings will appear in Journal of Neuroscience