2024-04-17 06:34:56
Julia Shaw is a researcher in the division of Psychology and Language Sciences at University College London and has stood out among the international scientific community thanks to her work on criminal psychology.
In his latest book, “To do bad” (Ed. Planeta), Julia Shaw analyzes the science behind evil and investigates the reasons behind the most evil thoughts and actions of human beings.
Thus, with the synopsis “We all do bad things. We all lie, deceive and hurt others. But does that make us evil beings? What differentiates us from the great criminals of history?”, the doctor begins an essay in which he highlights the importance of knowing “our dark side” and explains why we act the way we do and what motivates us to do so.
In an interview given to EFEsalud, the psychologist answers questions about different aspects that appear in the work To do badfrom the physiology of our brain and how it affects the way we act, to what actions can be considered (or not) intrinsically bad.
Dr. Julia Shaw. Image provided by Planeta.
1. Where does the need to write about evil come from?
If we break down evil, we will see that it is made up of specific psychological traits. And each of them has been investigated. Common traits of evil include sadism, psychopathy, revulsion, bloodlust, dehumanization, sexual urges, corporate ethical blindness and extreme conformity.
My goal is to draw the line between normal, everyday thoughts and behaviors from the more extreme versions. From everyday acts of aggression to serial murders. Or from normal sexual fantasies to sexual violence. Or from conformity in normal situations to complicity in a genocide.
We all have brains capable of the worst behaviors. It is best that we try to understand each other, and ourselves. I also think the dark side of humanity is the most fascinating.
2. Can we affirm that there are intrinsically good and bad people or are there only good and bad actions?
In fact, I have a podcast of the BBC called “Bad People”in which we also argue that we shouldn’t call people ‘bad’.
I think it is better to call actions good or bad than people. This can be helpful if you’re feeling lazy, but more accurate and interesting is when you actually describe what about their behavior is good or bad. By good, you probably mean generous, kind, or thoughtful. By bad, you probably mean greedy, selfish, or harmful to others. I always encourage people to be more precise. After all, I’m a scientist, and we love precision!
EFE/ Jorge Zapata
3. In our brain, are there physical differences that can show the tendency towards goodness or evil?
Everyone’s brain has all the necessary ingredients for “evil.” We can all activate what has been called the neuroscientific “evil path.”
The first step is a decrease in the activity of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Psychologically, what happens is a deindividuation. This makes us feel that we are not personally responsible for our behavior, as if we were just part of a group, or anonymous.
Secondly, there is an increase in activity in the amygdala, responsible for emotions. This is part of the dehumanization process, which often includes feelings such as anger and fear.
These emotions then pass through the brain stem to trigger other sensations, such as increased heart rate, blood pressure, and stomach pain. This is going into fight or flight mode. This is where crime or other antisocial behavior occurs.
We all have this way. But, it is stronger for those who have an underactive ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Research has shown that murderers and psychopaths, in particular, have decreased activity in this prefrontal cortex.
Just as an underactive thyroid means your metabolism is faulty and you’re more likely to be overweight, an underactive ventromedial prefrontal cortex means your moral judgment is faulty and you’re more likely to act immorally.
4. Is there a universal moral code?
No, there is not. Everyone has their own moral compass. If you ask your closest friends and family about very specific behaviors and crimes, you will probably be surprised by some of their answers.
Some, for example, will think that sexual deception is a terribly immoral and inexcusable act. But others will think that it doesn’t really matter. Or while some think that evading taxes is desirable, others think it is an ethically inconceivable act of selfishness.
What is in some ways more surprising than the idea that we all live in our own ethical worlds, is that we don’t even act in line with them.
In my book, I constantly make the reader consider ethical questions that, quite possibly, they have never asked themselves. The idea is to make people aware of what their ethics really are, and encourage them to start living their lives more in line with them.
We all need a periodic “ethics check-up.” My book could help carry out this check in a new and sometimes almost playful way.
The moral compass is individual and independent. EFE/Ángel Díaz
5. In To do bad There is talk of ‘disaster tourism’. What does it consist of? Who is more likely to do it?
“Disaster tourism” is a term used to describe people who visit “traumascapes”, areas destroyed by natural disasters or terrible historical events.
By seeing all the details and complexity of a disaster, we can better understand what has happened and be less afraid of it. We can learn and move forward. I think most of us have participated in disaster tourism, whether we thought about it that way or not. Yes, we have been in castles where women considered witches were killed, or in former concentration camps, or in the ruins of Belchite, which were intentionally ruined as a threat from the ravages of the Spanish civil war.
Why do we go to these places? Scholars have written about how these sites are a powerful place for self-reflection.
Being there, feeling what the people of the time felt, can help us connect with their reality. And it can help us understand the context of ours.
My book, To do bad, is a form of psychological disaster tourism. Instead of venturing into physical places, I delve into the mind. Some people may come just to look and take photos, to enjoy the sensational appeal of criminal masterminds. Others may come because they are worried that they too have dark tendencies.
More than once I have seen someone identify themselves as a psychopath, internet troll, or ask me about their murderous fantasies. But I think that, for most people, venturing into the heart of darkness allows us to test the limits of our minds and better understand ourselves and others. It gives us what I have called “malignant empathy.”
#evil #science #dark #side