Anger is it’s own Reward?

Research Results versus Interpretation

We read quite a bit of research and research reporting trying to keep up on the rapid changes in the alternative health and wellness field. It used to be that researchers were very careful when drawing conclusions based on their results. Be careful when you read news reports of new research. I have noticed researchers speculating on the meaning of their research more and more. I hope it is not just to bring attention to their research. This particular bit was slash dotted a couple of times and referenced by a number of sites, both with a scientific bent and more personal slant.

"It’s kind of striking that an angry facial expression is consciously valued as a very negative signal by almost everyone, yet at a non-conscious level can be like a tasty morsel that some people will vigorously work for," study co-author Oliver Schultheiss, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, said in a prepared statement.

Now it might be that triggering an angry look is awarding experience. But the "reward" is on a subliminal level, food is definitely not a subliminal experience for a rat.

"Perhaps teasers are reinforced by that fleeting ‘annoyed look’ on someone else’s face and therefore will continue to heckle that person to get that look again and again. "Better learning of a task associated with anger faces indicates that the anger faces were rewarding, as in a rat that learns to press a lever in order to receive a tasty treat."

In that sense, anger faces seemed to be rewarding for high-testosterone people but aversive for low-testosterone people," Wirth said in a prepared statement.

Now for a different interpretation - Testosterone is often linked to the fight and flight reaction, with high testosterone individuals more inclined to aggressive reaction. Now if the angry face is seen as threat an high testosterone person would be attracted to it in preparation of an aggressive response. Low testosterone individuals would be more prone to avoidance. It is clear to me that these results are open to interpretations other than the ones drawn by the researchers. When you read any research be sure to challenge the assumptions when the results are being used to draw conclusions.

1. Wirth, M. M., Schultheiss, O. C., 2007. Basal testosterone moderates responses to anger faces in humans. Physiol. Behav. 90(2-3): 496-505

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