Researchers at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California have examined the brains of bullying victims and discovered the affects don't just go away - they actually leave a physical mark.
Eighty-three children from ages nine to 14 were tracked by researchers. They had brain scans performed and were asked questions about their social lives and anything that might cause them stress, according to New York Magazine's Science of Us.
"The amygdala, associated with the ability to process emotions and react to stress, was larger in volume among 14-year-olds who had been bullied as children, with the effect greater for boys than girls," wrote Sarah D. Sparks, author of the blog Education Week. "Moreover, previously bullied adolescents had thinner temporal and prefrontal cortexes, areas critical for processing information and regulating behavior. This thinning was seen in both sexes but was stronger in girls than boys."
"Before [social media], your bullies at school stayed at school," said Alina Arakelian, a pediatrics research assistant at Children's Hospital and a co-author of the study, according to Education Week. "Now, through social media, they follow you everywhere."
A previous study from researchers at the Duke University School of Medicine found that "even long after their school days, former bullies had lower levels of a form of inflammation associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease," according to New York Magazine's Science of Us. "The victims, on the other hand, endured higher levels, which fits right in with what a different set of researchers found in a study released ... in the American Journal of Psychiatry."
The study found that those who bullied tended to feel a sense of justice while those who were bullied suffered lower self-esteem, depression and a higher rate of suicidal thoughts. Even as adults, those who were bullied in school had a higher rate of unemployment and lower income than most.
