Researchers have recently identified something in the human brain that they are calling the ‘Hate Circuit’, which consists of two subcortical areas of the brain that work in concert to create the emotional response of hatred in human beings. The Wellcome Laboratory of Neurobiology at UCL discovered this circuit in a study they conducted, wherein the brains of participants were scanned as they were shown pictures of people they personally hated, interspersed with other familiar, but otherwise neutral acquaintances.
When the subjects were shown pictures of the hated subject, two areas called the putamen and the insular cortex kicked into high gear. These areas are also associated with motor planning–so when the participants saw the control, their brains immediately began preparing to act.
Now, that’s not to say they were revving up to fight or to flee–just gearing up for some sort of physical reaction. But if you’re not fighting or running, and your brain is still signaling some kind of action, what do you think that action’s going to be?
That’s right, science has officially found the ‘fuck you’ center of the brain.
