Are we regressing emotionally as a society? The rise of a presidential candidate who feels the need to respond aggressively to every slight, real or perceived — and the perception that he is seen as somehow more “real” or “authentic” than our current, less-reactive commander in chief — suggests as much.
The fact that we’re rewarding such behavior with fame and, perhaps, power sends a terrible message to kids. But parents have a counterweight they can employ, one which apparently teaches children how to control the tendency to respond to provocations with aggressive behavior: Enroll them in music lessons.
That’s the key finding of new research from Germany, which tracked two groups of youngsters — one taking music lessons, the other studying the natural sciences — for a year and a half. The study found that the budding scientists were more likely to respond to provocation with aggression as they grew older. In contrast, the young musicians were not.
[For more of this story, written by Tom Jacobs, go to https://psmag.com/heres-eviden...853502cc4#.33uodl56s]
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