Asymmetrical Aggression

Don’t pick a fight with someone who has ears, fingers orfeet of different sizes or shapes, because they’re morelikely to react aggressively. Scientists think that earlystress in the womb from things such as a mother’s smoking ordrinking can cause these small physical imperfections andalso poor impulse control.

Researcher Zeynep Benderlioglu says, “Stressors duringpregnancy may lead to asymmetrical body parts. The samestressors will also affect development of the centralnervous system, which involves impulse control andaggression. So while asymmetry doesn’t cause aggression,they both seem to be correlated to similar factors duringpregnancy.”

Her team tested this by having participants callpre-selected people to solicit money for a charity. Thepeople they talked to followed one of several scripts,either saying they didn’t have any money or becomingconfrontational. They measured the reactions of the callersand compared them to how symmetrical their body parts were.The more asymmetrical callers tended to slam the phonereceiver down more often. Women were more likely to slamdown the phone when challenged, while men seemed angrierwhen they were politely turned down.

Benderlioglu says, “Research has shown that men are quickerto anger than are women, but while unprovoked men aregenerally more aggressive than women, the gender differenceseither disappear under provocation, or women may actuallybecome more aggressive than men.”

One sign of a symmetrical life is a series ofcoincidences?or are they? When Ray Fowler started studyingsynchronicities,he found they?re everywhere! Listen to this week’sDreamlandand learn how to find them in your own life. Looking forUFOs? Nick Pope used to track them for the Britishgovernment and became convince they’re real. He’s rarelyinterviewed in the U.S., but subscribers get to hear himthis week.

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