Greed can be described as an unbridled longing for economic gain at the expense of social need or quality of life: the desire for material gain; or other subjective social value; or personal status, like prestige, or power. Greed has long been identified as undesirable by many psychologists since it creates psychological conflict between individual and community goals, resulting in the promotion of selfish behavior. However, there is growing evidence that greed, although often associated with greed, is actually not always rational or even desirable. In fact, a recent study conducted at the University of Michigan claims that greedy people are often the victims of psychological trauma, which can contribute to mental illness and poor health.
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In their study, researchers from UML conducted laboratory experiments on rats and mice. The subjects were subjected to tests that involved either hunger or a number of different types of physical stimulation. When hungry, the animals displayed more hunger-related behaviors, including running, and jumping, than when they received different types of stimulation.
When the lab rats were tested under different situations, those that showed more greed exhibited less self-control. For example, when the animals were hungry, they consumed the most food when food was placed on the topmost portion of their cage. When given access to a food pellet reward, however, they were more willing to eat less. In another experiment, the rats were placed in a maze where one side contained food pellets. But then, if the animals did not reach their reward, they spent less time searching for it than the group that reached the reward.
According to the report, the findings support the claim that greed leads to poor mental health, including poor decision-making, poor judgment, and poor social skills. However, the authors don't suggest that everyone who displays greed must develop psychological problems; rather, they conclude that it may be caused by underlying neurological disorders, such as brain injury or traumatic brain injuries.
In addition, the researchers also claim that greed is also likely caused by neurobiological abnormalities. These abnormalities, which may be due to genetic abnormalities, disease, stress, or brain damage, may cause a person to have more greed than a person without these problems. Therefore, according to the researchers, neurobiological abnormalities may result in pathological conditions that contribute to the development of pathological behaviors. {such as greed, like the inability to focus, and poor judgment, poor decision-making, and poor social skills, which ultimately lead to poor health. quality of life.
The researchers acknowledge that this theory is still in its infancy, but they hope that it will lead to further studies on neurobiological abnormalities. Other researchers, such as Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz of the University of California, Los Angeles, are cautiously optimistic. He told the Independent, "What's missing in the field is the proof that these animals can behave differently based on their environment, so we really don't know whether the results are meaningful. This might be very interesting if you ask me."
As for the future, UML says that future studies will need to compare the behavior of mice and rats with humans, as well as providing conclusive evidence of genetic influences, since there are no genetic links in humans to show that greed causes emotional or psychological disturbances. Other scientists, however, believe that the findings support a link between greed and brain function, but are hesitant to conclude that there is any true link between greed and health issues. Dr. Richard Solomon of New York Medical College, who works as a psychotherapist and clinical psychologist, told the Independent, "This study raises a very important question, but it is not a direct one - whether greed leads to poor health or bad decisions, or whether it is not good to be greedy.
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"We should be careful to say that these findings are not a proof that greed is bad, but rather a strong suggestion that neurobiology and psychology may be related in some way," he said. Other scientists, including Dr. Mark Griffiths of Stanford University School of Medicine, said that while neurobiology and psychology may be related, it doesn't necessarily mean that people with neurobiological disorders are predisposed to being greedy.