TUESDAY, March 30, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Stressed trout may offer insight into violent and aggressive behavior in humans.
University of Oslo scientists found that dominant rainbow trout reduce their stress levels by venting their frustration on socially subordinate trout.
The scientists say this approach to stress reduction may be an evolutionary conserved strategy and could provide clues about the causes of violent and aggressive behavior in humans.
"Rainbow trout are highly territorial animals. When a dominant fish harasses a subordinate, stress levels drop off quickly in the dominant animal but remain high in the subordinate. One possible explanation for this is that beating up a subordinate relieves stress," researcher Oyvind Overli says in a prepared statement.
The study will be presented this week at the annual meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Another study to be presented at the meeting found that when pinch comes to shove, losing lobsters know when to back off.
When male lobsters fight, the loser remembers the smell of the victor's urine and that recognition determines the intensity of any rematch, say Boston University Marine Program researchers.
"As soon as the loser catchers a whiff of the winner, they back off. By recognizing the winner of a previous fight and fleeing more quickly in their second fight, the losers receive less aggression from the winner," researcher Molly Steinbach says in a prepared statement.
More information
The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center has more about aggression.
