Low serotonin levels common in angry people
Angry individuals aren’t much fun to deal with, but a new study suggests that they’re not necessarily bad people – they might just be suffering from low levels of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. To arrive at the conclusion, researchers at Italy’s Neuroimaging Research Unit in Catanzaro fed volunteers a diet that reduced their serotonin levels, and […]
Angry individuals aren’t much fun to deal with, but a new study suggests that they’re not necessarily bad people – they might just be suffering from low levels of the neurotransmitter, serotonin.
To arrive at the conclusion, researchers at Italy’s Neuroimaging Research Unit in Catanzaro fed volunteers a diet that reduced their serotonin levels, and also carried out a number of psychological tests.
The subsequent brain scans revealed that communication between the brain’s “fear processor” and the restraining prefrontal cortex had broken down, a disorder that can trigger milder forms of unpleasant behaviour, or at worst, bursts of anger and violence.
