Aggression is a common behavioral response within rival groups, and while psychological and socio-ecological factors have been studied extensively, the neuroscience behind this phenomenon still has much to uncover. Dr. Chester is at the forefront of this exploration, specifically examining the neural correlates of outgroup versus ingroup aggression.

In this episode, we delve into Dr. Chester's study which involved 35 healthy young male participants who were either current or former students of the same university. The study participants underwent functional MRI while participating in an aggression task against both an ingroup and outgroup opponent. This task involved the participants being repeatedly provoked by their opponents, followed by the opportunity to retaliate.

Dr. Chester's findings revealed that aggression towards outgrou ...