by Eve Andrews
Photo by melisdramatic
A recent study orchestrated by Dr. Graeme Fairchild and Professor Ian Goodyer at the University of Cambridge suggests that the heartbreakingly misunderstood bad boy you had a crush on in high school may have suffered from a deficiency in a crucial stress hormone more so than a case of incurable angst. Adolescent males who display “antisocial behavior,” such as aggression or other tendencies toward delinquency, have significantly lower levels of cortisol than their better-behaved counterparts.
Cortisol, the hormone in question, assists in the control of strong – especially violent and angry – emotions in a stressful situation. When an individual is placed under stress, the adrenal gland then secretes cortisol to elicit a response to the initial stress stimulus in the body. Fairchild and Goodyer’s study utilized teenage boys with a history of “severe antisocial behavior” – recruited from disciplinary institutions and referred by schools – and also boys without such a history. Researchers compared cortisol levels in saliva samples taken in a neutral setting and those taken in a stressful situation. Among the non-antisocial boys, cortisol levels surged during the stressful situation, whereas among the antisocial ones cortisol levels dropped below the neutral level.
This is not the first study to link cortisol deficiency and hostile behavior. In 2000, the University of Chicago illustrated a correlation between low levels of cortisol and aggression at a young age. The significance of these studies, especially in tandem, is that they offer a fairly simple biological explanation for a behavioral disorder. As scientists have discovered that depression and schizophrenia stem from biological irregularities in the brain, they have been able to formulate treatments for these diseases. Thus the “cure for the bad boy” becomes a tangible possibility, since all those lunch detentions were never really doing the trick.
References:
• University of Cambridge (2008, October 5). Antisocial Behavior May Be Caused By Low Stress Hormone Levels. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 7, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001093506.htm
• University Of Chicago Medical Center (2000, January 20). Low Levels Of Salivary Cortisol Associated With Aggressive Behavior. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 7, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/01/000120073039.htm
The possibility that a delinquent youth results partly from low levels of cortisol is fascinating, especially when one considers the implications this discovery has on future treatment plans. I wonder if a lack, or abundance, of certain other hormones also plays a part in childhood delinquency. We tend to think of males when we picture bullies. Although there is no concrete evidence in humans, studies of other animals show that testosterone is closely correlated to certain kinds of aggression. So, are there other hormones that might add to delinquency, especially when paired with low levels of cortisol?
McGill Journal of Medicine (2001). The Role of Testosterone in Agression.
Retrieved November 13, 2008, from
http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/mjm/v06n01/v06p032/v06p032.pdf
Comment by Molly Tulipan — November 13, 2008 @ 8:03 pm
Your post is very engaging and interesting, but I can not help but notice the lack of alternative theories and reasons as to why “bad boys” act they way they do.
It’s unfair and slanted to only look at the biological aspect of such a personality, and then to claim it a mental condition that can be treated with medical shots.
Conduct disorder and antisocial behavior are about behavior, types of social interactions, and violation of social norms. There is no “why” as part of their research or a way that takes into account the life experiences and perspectives of the individuals most affected by determinations of “antisocial disorder.” One would know nature and nurture work together and to target cortisol levels as the sole or even the biggest reason for such a behavior seems backwards.
In addition, a recent study showed that cortisol generally went up among antisocial/conduct disorder individuals: “reactive aggression was strongly correlated with elevated cortisol.” The fact that these two studies exist in print show that perhaps scientists can not yet proclaim cortisol levels and aggressive behavior concretely.
Journal of Neural Transmission (2005). Salivary cortisol and aggression in a population-based longitudinal study of adolescent males.
Retrieved November 17, 2008, from
http://www.springerlink.com/content/5cddbvx46t7ud6w5/
Comment by Tiffany Win — November 17, 2008 @ 9:57 pm
I definitely agree with and appreciate your critique of the notion that there exist “fairly simple biological explanation[s] for.. behavioral disorder[s].” While links and associations can be made between behavioral and biological characteristics, it should be stressed that those links are not necessarily or exclusively causative. I also want to echo your point about behaviors being influenced by social expectations and conditioning as well. As such, if we are to pathologize or problematize certain behaviors by calling them “disorders’, it is important that we investigate them as the psychological (i.e. social and biological) phenomena that they are.
Comment by Yasmine H. — March 8, 2013 @ 10:30 pm
This post is complementary to “The Boy Next Door” by articulating an important step I forgot to include. According to several scientists in the United States and the Netherlands, high levels of cortisol (which my post called adrenaline) stimulate the release of oxytocin (Gordon, 2007). Although exactly how this works has yet to be completely articulated, studies have shown a strong positive correlation between cortisol and oxytocin levels. This post explains that people who release low levels of cortisol during a stressful situation are shown to express “antisocial” behavior, and therefore one can anticipate the reciprocal effect: high levels of cortisol result in high levels of oxytocin, which stimulates feelings of attachment.
Reference:
Gordon, I., Zagoory-Sharon, O., Schneiderman, I., Leckman, J., Weller, A., Feldman, R. (2007, March 19). Oxytocin and cortisol in romantically unattached young adults: Associations with bonding and psychological distress. Psychophysiology. Retrieved November 19, 2008, from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/forwardlinking/?oid=118485715
Comment by Robin Embick — November 19, 2008 @ 12:08 pm
I think this post is also related to the “daredevil / adventure-seeking” personalities related to levels stress hormones (epinephrine). Like the lack of cortisol in these “bad boys,” people who tend to have risky behavior have a lower stress response and thus need a more dangerous stimulus to feel the same physiological rush and excitement. I think this may also explain the bad boy delinquency because boys may seek out behavior that is risky and gets them into trouble.
However, it makes me laugh a little inside thinking that all these problems or personality differences could be bypassed with pills and supplements.
Comment by Aaron Suzuka — May 5, 2009 @ 10:28 am
I think the second comment on this post makes a valid point, behavior and personality are formed not only by biological influences, but also by an individual’s environment and experiences. To say that cortisol levels control behavior would not be true; a direct causal relationship between cortisol deficiency and hostile behavior cannot be inferred by the results offered in the study. While it is important to acknowledge and look further into this connection, assuming a cause-and-effect correlation precludes research that examines the true multi-dimensional factors that come into play when determining the sources of anti-social behavior.
Comment by Andrea Fahmy — December 2, 2009 @ 4:49 am
Cortisol is not the only biological link to increased hostility and aggression is males. Florida State University has performed similar research, but instead of looking at cortisol, the gene regulating Monoamine Oxidase A (MAOA) was studied. Young men with one particular version of this gene were found to be exceptionally more prone to aggression, violence, and weapons use. The “3-repeat allele” version of the gene signals the body to create lower than average amounts of MAOA. That version of the gene is being referred to as the “warrior gene” by some scientists, due to its causation of aggressive, violent behavior. Interestingly, women with this version of the gene did not exhibit any increased aggression.
Reference
(2009) . ‘Warrior Gene’ Linked To Gang Membership, Weapon Use . ScienceDaily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090605123237.htm
Comment by Psych 105 Student — December 11, 2009 @ 6:22 pm