THE PSYCHOBIOLOGY OF LOVE AND WAR

Catalog description

How does our biology conspire towards certain social outcomes? How might tiny molecules coursing through our veins help bring us together and tear us apart? This course covers psychological and neuroscientific research on the subtle and not-so-subtle influence of hormones on the pro- and anti-social ways in which we behave. Specifically, the course explores the relationships between long- and short-term exposure to particular hormones and behaviors that emerge in the contexts of attraction and mating, affiliation, aggression, dominance and threats to safety and security. This content will be presented alongside both the basic anatomy and physiology of the endocrine system and representative empirical research that has led to important discoveries.