A neurobiological association of revenge propensity during intergroup conflict
Revenge during intergroup conflict is a human universal, but its neurobiological underpinnings remain unclear. We address this by integrating functional MRI and measurements of endogenous oxytocin in participants who view an ingroup and an outgroup member's suffering that is caused mutually (Re...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2020-03-01
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| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/52014 |
| _version_ | 1828169134020493312 |
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| author | Xiaochun Han Michele J Gelfand Bing Wu Ting Zhang Wenxin Li Tianyu Gao Chenyu Pang Taoyu Wu Yuqing Zhou Shuai Zhou Xinhuai Wu Shihui Han |
| author_facet | Xiaochun Han Michele J Gelfand Bing Wu Ting Zhang Wenxin Li Tianyu Gao Chenyu Pang Taoyu Wu Yuqing Zhou Shuai Zhou Xinhuai Wu Shihui Han |
| author_sort | Xiaochun Han |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Revenge during intergroup conflict is a human universal, but its neurobiological underpinnings remain unclear. We address this by integrating functional MRI and measurements of endogenous oxytocin in participants who view an ingroup and an outgroup member's suffering that is caused mutually (Revenge group) or by a computer (Control group). We show that intergroup conflict encountered by the Revenge group is associated with an increased level of oxytocin in saliva compared to that in the Control group. Furthermore, the medial prefrontal activity in response to ingroup pain in the Revenge group but not in the Control group mediates the association between endogenous oxytocin and the propensity to give painful electric shocks to outgroup members, regardless of whether they were directly involved in the conflict. Our findings highlight an important neurobiological correlate of revenge propensity, which may be implicated in conflict contagion across individuals in the context of intergroup conflict. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T02:46:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-57bed60777df4583b8fe0682590ef56d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T02:46:12Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-57bed60777df4583b8fe0682590ef56d2022-12-22T03:51:09ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2020-03-01910.7554/eLife.52014A neurobiological association of revenge propensity during intergroup conflictXiaochun Han0Michele J Gelfand1Bing Wu2Ting Zhang3Wenxin Li4Tianyu Gao5Chenyu Pang6Taoyu Wu7Yuqing Zhou8Shuai Zhou9Xinhuai Wu10Shihui Han11https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3350-5104School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, United StatesDepartment of Radiology, The 7th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaPeking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Radiology, The 7th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Radiology, The 7th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaRevenge during intergroup conflict is a human universal, but its neurobiological underpinnings remain unclear. We address this by integrating functional MRI and measurements of endogenous oxytocin in participants who view an ingroup and an outgroup member's suffering that is caused mutually (Revenge group) or by a computer (Control group). We show that intergroup conflict encountered by the Revenge group is associated with an increased level of oxytocin in saliva compared to that in the Control group. Furthermore, the medial prefrontal activity in response to ingroup pain in the Revenge group but not in the Control group mediates the association between endogenous oxytocin and the propensity to give painful electric shocks to outgroup members, regardless of whether they were directly involved in the conflict. Our findings highlight an important neurobiological correlate of revenge propensity, which may be implicated in conflict contagion across individuals in the context of intergroup conflict.https://elifesciences.org/articles/52014intergroup conflictoxytocinmedial prefrontal cortexrevenge |
| spellingShingle | Xiaochun Han Michele J Gelfand Bing Wu Ting Zhang Wenxin Li Tianyu Gao Chenyu Pang Taoyu Wu Yuqing Zhou Shuai Zhou Xinhuai Wu Shihui Han A neurobiological association of revenge propensity during intergroup conflict eLife intergroup conflict oxytocin medial prefrontal cortex revenge |
| title | A neurobiological association of revenge propensity during intergroup conflict |
| title_full | A neurobiological association of revenge propensity during intergroup conflict |
| title_fullStr | A neurobiological association of revenge propensity during intergroup conflict |
| title_full_unstemmed | A neurobiological association of revenge propensity during intergroup conflict |
| title_short | A neurobiological association of revenge propensity during intergroup conflict |
| title_sort | neurobiological association of revenge propensity during intergroup conflict |
| topic | intergroup conflict oxytocin medial prefrontal cortex revenge |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/52014 |
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