Abstract
Myths, drama, and sacred texts have warned against the fragile nature of human love; the closer the affiliative bond, the quicker it can turn into hatred, suggesting similarities in the neurobiological underpinnings of love and hatred. Here, I offer a theoretical account on the neurobiology of hatred based on our model on the biology of human attachments and its three foundations; the oxytocin system, the “affiliative brain”, comprising the neural network sustaining attachment, and biobehavioural synchrony, the process by which humans create a coupled biology through coordinated action. These systems mature in mammals in the context of the mother–infant bond and then transfer to support life within social groups. During this transition, they partition to support affiliation and solidarity to one's group and fear and hatred towards out-group based on minor variations in social behaviour.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 603-616 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Acta Paediatrica, International Journal of Paediatrics |
| Volume | 112 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 19 Jan 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 2023 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The study was supported by the Fetzer Foundation. I am immensely grateful to my colleagues on this long and arduous project; Dr. Shafiq Masalha, Dr. Moran Influs, Dr. Jonathan Levy, and Dr. Orna Zagoory‐Sharon and to the two group moderators; Eliana Almog and Hajer Masarwa.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author. Acta Paediatrica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation Acta Paediatrica.
Keywords
- attachment
- empathy
- hatred
- inter-group conflct
- intervention
- oxytocin
- social neuroscience