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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121093343.htm

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/
090121093343.htm

'Warrior Gene' Predicts Aggressive Behavior After
Provocation
Jan. 23, 2009 — Individuals with the so-called “warrior
gene” display higher levels of aggression in response to
provocation, according to new research co-authored by
Rose McDermott, professor of political science at Brown
University. In the experiment, which is the first to examine
a behavioral measure of aggression in response to
provocation, subjects were asked to cause physical pain to
an opponent they believed had taken money from them by
administering varying amounts of hot sauce.

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The findings are published in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. In addition to McDermott,
the research team included Dustin Tingley of Princeton
University, Jonathan Cowden of the University of
California–Santa Barbara, Giovanni Frazetto from the
London School of Economics, and Dominic Johnson from
the University of Edinburgh. Their experiment synthesized
work in psychology and behavioral economics.
Monoamine oxidase A is an enzyme that breaks down
important neurotransmitters in the brain, including
dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. The enzyme is
regulated by monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA). Humans
have various forms of the gene, resulting in different levels
of enzymatic activity. People with the low-activity form
(MAOA-L) produce less of the enzyme, while the
high-activity form (MAOA-H) produces more of the
enzyme.

Individuals with the so-called "warrior gene"
display higher levels of aggression in
response to provocation. (Credit:
iStockphoto/Viorika Prikhodko)

Several studies have found a correlation between the
low-activity form of MAOA and aggression in
observational and survey-based studies. Only about a third of people in Western populations have the
low-activity form of MAOA. By comparison, low-activity MAOA has been reported to be much more
frequent (approaching two-thirds of people) in some populations that had a history of warfare. This led to a
controversy over MAOA being dubbed the “warrior gene.”
The PNAS paper is the first experimental test of whether MAOA-L individuals display higher levels of actual
behavioral aggression in response to provocation. A total of 78 subjects took part in the experiment over
networked computers (all were male students from the University of California–Santa Barbara). Each subject
(A) first performed a vocabulary task in which they earned money. Then they were told that an anonymous

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121093343.htm

partner (B), linked over the network, could choose to take some of their earnings away from them. The
original subject (A) could then choose to punish the taker (B) by forcing them to eat unpleasantly hot (spicy)
sauce — but they had to pay to do so, so administering punishment was costly. In reality, the “partner” who
took money away was a computer, which allowed the researchers to control responses. No one actually
ingested hot sauce.
Their results demonstrate that
Low-activity MAOA subjects displayed slightly higher levels of aggression overall than high-activity
MAOA subjects.
There was strong evidence for a gene-by-environment interaction, such that MAOA is less associated
with the occurrence of aggression in the low-provocation condition (when the amount of money taken
was low), but significantly predicted aggression in a high-provocation situation (when the amount of
money taken was high).
The results support previous research suggesting that MAOA influences aggressive behavior, with potentially
important implications for interpersonal aggression, violence, political decision-making, and crime. The
finding of genetic influences on aggression and punishment behavior also questions the recently proposed idea
that humans are “altruistic” punishers, who willingly punish free-riders for the good of the group. These
results support theories of cooperation that propose there are mixed strategies in the population. Some people
may punish more than others, and there may be an underlying evolutionary logic for doing so.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Brown University.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact
the source cited above.
Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the following formats:
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MLA
Brown University (2009, January 23). 'Warrior Gene' Predicts Aggressive Behavior After Provocation.
ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01
/090121093343.htm

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121093343.htm

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed
here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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