The Neurobiology of Bullying

“People who say they don’t care what people think are usually desperate to have people think they don’t care what people think.”

George Carlin

A recent study by Dr. Jean Decety, a professor in psychology and psychiatry at the University of Chicago and colleagues at the University of Chicago has found that the brain scans of young, aggressive bullies suggest they actually enjoy seeing others in pain ((Decety, J., Michalska, K.J., Akitsuki, Y., & Lahey, B.B. (2008). Atypical empathic responses in adolescents with aggressive conduct disorder: a functional MRI investigation. Biological Psychology)).

The Neurobiology of Bullying

The researchers used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans of eight 16 to 18 year-old boys with aggressive conduct disorder (psychological diagnosis of bullying teenagers) and compared them to eight matched adolescents without this clinical disorder.

The brain scans showed decreased activation of areas associated with empathy and increased activity in an area of the brain associated with rewards when the aggressive boys watched a video of someone inflicting pain on another person. In contrast, the control group did not have the same response.

A recent prospective study of 506 males and 3,570 females measured “perceived justice” (supervisory practices) and absenteeism due to illness and self-reported health ((Elovainio, M. et al., 2002. Organizational Justice: Evidence of a New Psychosocial Predictor of Health American Journal of Public Health, 92, 105-108)).

The rates of absence due to sickness among those perceiving low justice were 1.2 to 1.9 times higher than among those perceiving high justice. These associations remained significant even after statistical adjustment for behavioral risks, workload, job control, and social support.

Gary Namie,Ph.D. who is a social psychologist and founder of the Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute in Bellingham, Washington has studied bosses that terrorize others (70% of all workplace bullying is done by those in leadership roles). His 2003 study found that 37 percent of victims were fired, 33 percent quit and 17 percent were transferred. The bullies were punished in only 4 percent of the cases, while they were transferred in 9 percent ((Namie, G. (2003). Workplace bullying: Escalated incivility. Ivey Business Journal, November/December, 1-6)).

According to a recent WBI-Zogby Survey on workplace bullying, 45% of targeted individuals suffer stress-related health problems including:

• Debilitating Anxiety, Panic Attacks (>80%)
• Clinical Depression: new to person or exacerbated condition previously controlled (39%)
• Post-traumatic Stress (PTSD) from deliberate human-inflicted abuse (30% of targeted women; 21% of men)

It seems that bullies might actually biologically enjoy hurting their victims and might not easily modify their emotionally damaging behavior. Putting up with a bully leader might literally make you sick.

The most recent survey (2010) from the Workplace Bullying Institute also revealed the following:

• 50% of Americans have not experienced  or witnessed bullying, but 35% have been bullied; 15% have witnessed bullying.
• Bosses comprise 72% of bullies
• More men (62%) are bullies and women are the most frequent targets of bullies (58%)
• Women bullies target other women (80%)

It seems that bullies may have a biological proclivity to cause emotional pain in others without experiencing any empathy themselves.  And for any of us who have ever been bullied, the emotional pain is equivalent to physical pain and leaves scarring that manifest itself in many ways throughout life.

And, when the bully is our boss–they may actually be harmful for your health….Be well…..

Ken Nowack

Kenneth Nowack, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist (PSY13758) and President & Chief Research Officer/Co-Founder of Envisia Learning, is a member of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. Ken also serves as the Associate Editor of Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. His recent book Clueless: Coaching People Who Just Don’t Get It is available for free for a limited time by signing up for free blog updates (Learn more at our website)