Social rank and friendship override brain stimulation that would otherwise trigger attack

Evidence

In an ingenious study, Delgado (1967) included a social determinant in research that threw new light on hypothalamic control of aggression. He recorded the social behavior of a colony of monkeys at normal times and when selected members with brain-implanted electrodes were electrically stimulated through radio transmission. Hypothalamic stimulation of a monkey who held a dominant rank in the colony instigated him to attack other males, but the stimulated boss monkey did not assault the females. Nor did he attack his immediate male subordinate, with whom he was on friendly terms. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 160

Categorization

• SEED: Essay angle: the same neural ‘attack switch’ produces entirely different behavior depending on social context — a case study in how brains are not behavior programs.
• SHARE: Good for a neuroscientist or primate-research friend — the Delgado radio-stimulated monkey colony finding is a niche gem.
• CANDY: Chat-worthy: scientists could remotely stimulate a boss monkey’s ‘aggression center’ and he still wouldn’t hit his friends.