VOLUME LXXV | MAR 2023

The Complex Nature of Human Aggression Explored

Human aggression is like a double-edged sword, with the potential to both protect and harm. From an evolutionary standpoint, aggression is seen as a means of enhancing one’s fitness, as it aids in securing resources, defending territory, and ensuring reproductive success. However, humans exhibit a unique paradox, wherein they demonstrate both peaceful and cooperative behavior, as well as aggressive and violent tendencies. This duality can be observed across various contexts, ranging from interpersonal conflicts to large-scale conflicts like warfare and genocide. Understanding the evolutionary and neuroendocrine foundations of human aggression can shed light on the factors that contribute to this complex behavior. By examining the interplay between our genetic makeup, brain chemistry, and environmental influences, researchers hope to unravel the intricacies of human aggression. Exploring this research further can provide valuable insights into our own behavior and potentially help us navigate conflicts in a more constructive manner.

Anne-Marie Dubois

Anne-Marie is a French-Canadian philosopher from New Brunswick, delving into existential questions of human purpose and fulfillment. Her contributions encourage reflective practices for realizing potential, inspired by Acadian resilience and communal wisdom.

Aggression (see Glossary) is behaviour proximately intended to cause harm to another individual [1,2], occurring in contexts as diverse as guarding mates, defending territory, competing for nutrients or status, attacking other groups, and protecting or killing infants. From an evolutionary perspective, aggression is expected to protect or increase the aggressor’s fitness on average. Humans are particularly interesting because they pose a behavioural paradox [3,4], simultaneously displaying remarkable tendencies for peace and cooperation [3,5–8] alongside remarkable tendencies for aggression and violence that vary from insults to genocide [3,4,9].
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