An argument for compassion and respect.
In the wake of several highly publicized cases in which teen taunting provoked either suicidal or violent behavior, we have to ask ourselves how social rejection, verbal abuse, and peer ridicule affect developing brains. Last week, I wrote about some of the effects of bullying and verbal abuse on teens. Now, a new piece of research on mice begs the question, Do negative social experiences change the developing brains of humans?
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-sense/201105/social-defeat-changes-young-brains