A new brain scan study shows witnessing someone else get bullied can trigger an instant distress response, especially in people who have been bullied before — and that the physical reaction can contribute to a mob mentality.
“When we see violent imagery, aggression and angry images, it stirs up a certain type of response,” said Dr. Asha Patton-Smith, a psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente in Falls Church, Virginia. “And if you’ve had previous experience with aggression or bullying, it may increase that response.”
The study, “Exposure to bullying engages social distress circuits in the adolescent and adult brain,” published in the Journal of Neuroscience, adolescents between 11 and 14 years old, and adults underwent an MRI while watching simulated first-person videos of bullying, as well as neutral and positive social interactions.
The reaction to viewing someone else being bullied, especially for those who had been picked on personally, was one of “fight or flight,” said Patton-Smith.
“You’re physically tense, with an elevated heart rate, and heightened arousal,” she said.
The largely physical response makes it difficult to reason, said Patton-Smith.
“Instead of using the front part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex where you do your focus, attention, planning, you’re back in the emotional part of your brain, the amygdala, and the hippocampus, and you’re increasing cortisol,” said Patton-Smith.
Having the distress circuit engaged often limits a person’s ability to think wisely.
“The problem is, because it’s a fight or flight response, you are basically not using your executive functioning,” Patton-Smith said. “Your ability to reason and think, ‘Maybe this is not what I need to participate in’ is not activated, it’s only your fight or flight.'”
That can fuel a mob mentality, she said.
“When you have that distress response, you see people kind of joining in and developing that same energy, which is usually negative, and usually aggressive,” she said.
The response was similar for adults and adolescents.
Asked how to avoid the risks, Patton-Smith suggested monitoring what your or a loved one is seeing on social media.
“It’s also just watching and being aware of negative influences that are coming, even in social situations,” Patton-Smith said.
The key, she said, is attempting to calm oneself early.
“Noting when you are getting anxious or frustrated or angry, and using those coping skills, and taking deep breaths, trying to back away from a situation that may be anxiety-provoking or scary,” Patton-Smith said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
