Bully

The University of Chicago published a ground breaking study indicating that bullies actually enjoy the torture they inflict on others. Breaking with the belief that bullies get no satisfaction from abusing vulnerable victims, the study of brain scans shows that aggressive teens are stimulated while watching videos of bullies hurting other people.

The research, first reported by The Washington Post, is being published in Biological Psychology and comes as a relief to many young bullies who grow up completely misunderstood. One young teen known for his bullying is taking some comfort in the recently released report. Peter Mary, a twenty year old high school drop out, has been a bully since his grammar school days. “It all started with my last name, Mary. Other kids would say I was a Mary, and it created a lot of confused feelings in me. I mean, I am a Mary, that’s my last name, but they would always say it in a different way, if you know what I mean.”

These early incidents in life quickly pushed Mary into bullying as a defense mechanism. ” I did not enjoy it at first, but figured it was better to give than to receive. I would give wedgies to kids for no reason; humiliate kids for no reason; it just became a habit.” When asked if he felt gratified, or a sense of enjoyment after bullying, Mary said he did. “I learned it feels good to make someone else feel bad. It really makes me feel like a man.”, said Mary.

No one knows yet if the new research will lead to any advancements in the prevention of bullying, or if the new study is as useless as it appears. But at least it is providing some solace to one young bully. “I’m glad that people know that I’m only a bully because it makes me feel good”, says Mary. “I hope this helps all those geeks understand why I pick on them.”