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Men take pleasure in punishing, says study

law enforcer

The findings could explain the traditional job of men as society's enforcers, say researchers (Image: iStockphoto)

Men are likely to take pleasure when they see someone punished for acting unfairly, while women are likely to feel badly for the culprit, say neuroscientists.

Dr Tania Singer of University College London and team report their findings today online ahead of print publication in the journal Nature.



The recipient decided how much to give back from the profits. They could hand back up to triple the investment, at little reward to themselves, or hand back little or nothing, maximising their own gains at the investor's cost.

One actor was cast in a generous role, always giving lots of money back to their partners, while another actor was cast as a meanie, giving back very little and sometimes nothing at all.



Brain imaging reveals sex differences


The volunteer was then given a demonstration of a mild shock, the equivalent of short bee-sting, and then watched as the actors, standing next to the scanner, got the same painful treatment.



When an "unfair" actor got a shock, the AI/FI and ACC lit up again among most female volunteers. But amongst the men these empathic areas showed no increase in activity.

Reward centre activated in men

Men who watched "unfair" actors suffering did show an activation of their nucleus accumbens, the part of the brain associated with the satisfaction of reward. This activation was not seen in most female volunteers.

Singer says the results show that fairness in social situations "shapes the nature of the emotional link we have to other people.


Singer believes these fundamental responses at the individual level have played a key role in social evolution.

They would explain for instance why communities everywhere draw up laws or codes to punish or sideline those who cheat and freeload on the majority, she says.

As for the gender difference about punishing a social offender, Singer says she could not rule out the possibility that the experiment favoured men as there was a physical rather than psychological or financial threat involved.

Despite this limitation, she says, the results could explain the traditional job of men as society's enforcers.


Tags: biology, neuroscience