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| NEW YORK - Bill Clinton said he felt others' pain. But a new brain-scanning study suggests that when guys see a cheater get a mild electric shock, they don't feel his pain much at all. In fact, they rather enjoy it.
In contrast, women's brains showed they do empathize with the cheater's pain and don't get a kick out it. It's not clear whether this difference in schadenfreude _ enjoyment of another's misfortune _ results from basic biology or sex roles learned during life, researchers say. But it could help explain why men have historically taken charge of punishing criminals and others who violate societal rules, said researcher Dr. Klaas Stephan. Stephan, a senior research fellow at the University College London, is co-author of a study led by Tania Singer at the college and published online Wednesday by the journal Nature. Singer, in an e-mail message, said the sex difference in results was a surprise and must be confirmed by larger studies. The researchers said women might have reacted like men if the cheater suffered psychological or financial pain instead. |
By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer (comcast.net news)
So they have to redo the study because they only did this with a very small population (16 of each sex)... but... could this be why there are so many wars with men in power?
Women, apparently, with punish them the way they should be - you cheat in a game of poker for money, you pay with money. Women are against violence. Surprise? Not really.
I personally love watching horror and action movies, and I'm a woman. I hate chick flicks. But it's true that there are better ways to pay for wrong doings other than beating physically hurt. heh
