12 Things Everyone Should Know About Violence
What the science really says about aggression, crime, and human nature
Violence is one of those topics where almost everyone has an opinion, but few have looked at the data. We debate it, fear it, and condemn it - yet much of what we believe about violence is based on hearsay, headlines, and Hollywood rather than solid evidence.
In this installment of the “12 Things Everyone Should Know” series, we’ll cut through the myths and take a tour of the science of human aggression. We’ll learn, among other things, that women are sometimes more violent than men in relationships, that humans are both unusually peaceful and unusually violent compared to other animals, and that life before civilization was often far more brutal than today. We’ll also explore the nature and nurture of human violence, the relationship of IQ to violence, and myths about violent video games.
Some of the findings we’ll cover square with commonsense; others turn popular opinion on its head. But all are grounded in peer-reviewed research - and all shed light on one of the darkest, most fascinating aspects of human nature.
You can access the full collection of “12 Things Everyone Should Know” posts here.
1. The Most Violent Humans on Earth
Which age group is the most violent? Here’s a hint: If you’re hitting someone to steal their car, it’s most likely a plastic one…
That’s right: Toddlers are the most violent group of people on the planet. As adorable as they are, they lash out with shocking frequency. As we see in the graph below, physical aggression peaks at around age two, then falls steadily as kids make their way through childhood.
We’re often told that aggression is something we learn. But the evidence suggests the opposite: that kids have to learn not to be aggressive.
2. Men Are More Aggressive - Usually
You might have noticed another trend in the above graph: At every age, boys are more aggressive than girls. Needless to say, this difference isn’t limited to childhood; it persists throughout the lifespan. Moreover, it’s particularly large in late adolescence and early adulthood, when male aggression spikes.
There’s an interesting nuance here, however: While boys and men corner the market on direct, face-to-face aggression, girls and women engage in as much or even more indirect aggression - that is, gossiping, social exclusion, and the like.
