Bullying Affects Social Status?

An anonymous reader wrote to mention a ScienceDaily article about the social status effects of bullying on mice and men. From the article: "The results reveal neural mechanisms by which social learning is shaped by psychosocial experience and how antidepressants act in this particular brain circuit. They also suggest new strategies for treating mood disorders such as depression, social phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder, in which social withdrawal is a prominent symptom ... He and his colleagues also discovered that social defeat triggered an upheaval in gene expression in the target area of the circuit, the nucleus accumbens, located deep in the front part of the brain -- 309 genes increased in expression while 17 decreased."

Comments

news for nerds

[Anonymous Coward]

If this isn't "news for nerds" I don't know what is.

Mod Aticle: -1 Obvious

[OctoberSky]

Isn't this Slashdot? News for Nerds?

I think this crowd knows very well the effects of bullying.

They get even later in life

[Philip K Dickhead]

by modding you down as "Troll", "Offtopic", or "Flamebait". ;-)

Re:Good way to get your ass kicked

[Anonymous Coward]

Still, it's strange that the BDNF-enable gene ssurvived natural selection. If the mice avoid social situations, it would be hard to reproduce.

Not at all. It's just that they only get to breed with the skanks. Sort of like those of us who frequent Slashdot.

Re:False premise

[mctk]

I'll kick your ass if you keep asking questions.

Re:Good way to get your ass kicked

[ral8158]

The slashdot crowd has been through that, I assume :)

Re:and computer habits

[drooling-dog]

Many people use Linux as a way to rebel against their social inadequacies.

No, we use Linux for the same reason a dog licks his balls: because we can. If we were the submissives, we'd be afraid of learning anything new and just stick to the environment we're accustomed to, regardless of the cost.

which means...?

[azakem]

Could someone please translate this into lay speak? Damn it, Jim, I'm a computer scientist, not a biologist!

Re:The cure for bullying?

[Anonymous Coward]

And more bullies lying bleeding in school hallways spitting out their own teeth.

Yes! I call upon us to form a Geekocracy! Jocks will tremble in fear as those with poor vision and awkward social skillz strut fearlessly down the hallways. They'll be forced into seclusion with their little clubs like "football" and "exctasy ravers".

Re:False premise

[Thing 1]

I like the version from "Clerks":

Randall: "I'm not going to miss what's probably going to be the social event of the season."
Dante: "You hate people!"
Randall: "But I love gatherings ... isn't it ironic?"

Or this one, from earlier:

Randall (to Dante about the customer who got offended by his speech, and then the nudie magazine that Randall opened in front of him): "That guy's an asshole. Everybody that comes in here is way too uptight. This job would be great if it wasn't for the fucking customers."

Re:They studied the wrong mice...

[Anonymous Coward]

Wrong mice? ...Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pinky?

Re:False premise

[kennygraham]

my wife (who looks like a supermodel, but is also super-smart, and very funny).

A preemptive apology for forgetting Valentine's day?

Re:False premise

[MayorDefacto]

However, allowing them to inadvertently "min-max" their INT at the expense of their STR, DEX, or CHA would constitute a failed WIS check on your part.

Thank god someone finally put this into terms that everyone around here can understand!

Re:Bullying is effective - Basis for coping

[mav[LAG]]

What happens if you kick the crap out of someone and they hit their head on the ground and die.

You get shortlisted for intensive training in the war against the Buggers?

Re:Odd coincidence?

[Bambi Dee]

I don't think I see what you mean. Isn't this the very institute that the "Rats of NIMH" were named after? Seems more like a... non-coincidence, then.

Re:Good way to get your ass kicked

[Master of Transhuman]

An alternative to this chemical is a good combat handgun, an assault rifle with a grenade launcher, and body armor - and of course the training to use them. And if they don't work, a sniper rifle, an IED, or poison can also be made to work well.