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Researchers set out to test how glucose levels influence intimate partner violence (Bushman et al. 2014). The framing of intimate partner violence was Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) and WHO (2003).
“For 21 days, glucose levels were measured in 107 married couples. To measure aggressive impulses, each evening participants stuck between 0 and 51 pins into a voodoo doll that represented their spouse, depending how angry they were with their spouse. To measure aggression, participants competed against their spouse on a 25-trial task in which the winner blasted the loser with loud noise through headphones. As expected, the lower the level of glucose in the blood, the greater number of pins participants stuck into the voodoo doll, and the higher intensity and longer duration of noise participants set for their spouse.”Here's the result, straight from the horse's mouth so to speak:
“As predicted, daily evening glucose levels predicted sticking fewer pins into the voodoo doll representing one’s partner [b = −0.007, t(213) = −2.43, P < 0.02] before controlling for any covariates. Daily evening glucose continued to predict fewer pin sticks even after controlling for relationship satisfaction and participant sex [b = −0.008, t(213) = −2.82, P = 0.006]. Relationship satisfaction was also negatively related to the number of daily pin sticks [b = −0.63, t(212) = −5.19, P < 0.0001]. Women also tended to stick more pins into the voodoo doll than men did, although the difference was not quite significant [b = −0.37, t(213) = −1.92, P = 0.056]. Thus, having lower evening glucose levels related to stabbing a voodoo doll that represented one’s spouse with more pins. People with lower glucose levels had higher aggressive impulses”.Being aggressive in the home environment means that the individual is lacking impulse control, which is part of something called the executive functions which takes up to 20 years to mature (Ardila, 2008, Ardila et al. 2018; Adornetti, 2016; Barkley, 2001; Coolidge and Wynn, 2018; Diamond, 2013; Diamond and Lee, 2011; Liu et al. 2017; Trafton, 2017). Even though the EFs includes ~15 subsets, they can be reduced to three categories: emotional adjustment, social adjustment, and cognitive development, where impulse control is part of emotional adjustment (Österberg, 2004). The opposite to executive functions is executive dysfunction (Elliot, 2003).
“Thus, having lower evening glucose levels related to blasting one’s spouse with more intense and prolonged noise. People with lower glucose levels had higher aggression levels. These findings for aggressive behavior replicate and extend the previous daily diary results for aggressive impulses.”
“the association between average daily aggressive impulses and aggressive behavior was significant [b = 0.17, t(205) = 2.51, P = 0.01], such that people who stuck more pins into the voodoo doll across the 21 days also selected louder and longer noise blasts for their spouse.”
“Thus, participants with lower levels of evening glucose were more aggressive in part because they also had greater aggressive impulses.”
Even though Bushman et al's study indicated that women are more aggressive, they did not report about intimate partner violence by sex. Even so, studies using proper measures, e.g. the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS; Straus, 1979; Straus et al. 1996) shows the following pattern:
- Physical violence – Physical violence. Women account for >50% of incidence and injuries.
- Lethal violence – equally unlikely (0.0000005) affect children, men or women (e.g. Liem och Koenraadt, 2008).
- Psychological violence (relationship aggression) – typically female. Psychological aggression (relational aggressiveness) includes custodial conflicts which are also a typically female behavior.
(Archer,2000, 2004; Bates, Graham-Kevan och Archer , 2014; Bates och Graham-Kevan, 2016; Bates, 2018; Bates, Kaye, Pennington och Hamlin, 2019; Bergkvist, 2002; Crick och Grotpeter, 1995; Hyde, 2005; Thornton et al. 2012).
Listen to Dr Elizabeth Bates: Intimate Partner Violence (34 minuter).
Ergo. Domestic violence is typically a female phenomenon, which is consonant with the result in Bushman et al.
Because my previous research included executive dysfunction, supervision of a bachelor thesis in law about Domestic violence (Bergkvist, 2002), and that my tenure as research leader at the University of Helsingfors allowed me to delve into nutrition psychology (e.g., Österberg, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), I have made some observations in Finland related to my expertise:
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Women relational aggressiveness (psychological violence at home) is the big challenge (Helsingfors Police department, April, 2022). During spring of 2022, a mother murdered her child at a facility which social workers in Helsingfors called “institutions for women with mental challenges” (Björkqvist, HBL, 2022). In neighboring Borgå, 50 kilometers east of Helsingfors, a mother who was under observation by the social service tried to murder her five year old son (Nyqvist och Curry, HBL, 2022).
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Too many Finnish school children fail reading comprehension and numeracy (the foundation for instrumental and epistemic rational thinking (Stanovich, 2011, 2016)) (Ministry of education and culture, May, 2022).
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20% of Finnish kids and young people born 1997 or later have mental health issues (Elina Pekkarinen, Finland's, child commissary, November, 2022).
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Finland has the highest rate of Alzheimer's in the World – twice as high compared to neighboring Sweden (EU, 2023). A marker for Alzheimer's is irrational aggression (low impulse control). The Finnish Brain foundation predicts that 50% of all Finnish women and 30% of all Finnish men over the age of 45 will suffer from a serious brain disease. They mean Alzheimers.
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The research at the University of Helsingfors has, and I quote, collapsed (Bäckgren, 2023).
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40% of Finnish school kids are victims of psychological violence in the home environment (Maj Estlander, Bensow, November, 2023).
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Finland has the highest rate of depression in the EU (Maj Estlander, November, 2023).
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Psychological violence and lethal violence against small children has increased (Elina Pekkarinen, Finlands child commissary, November, 2023).
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Women's domestic violence is the big challenge (Finnish Amnesty reported that Helsingfors police told them that, February, 2024 (Österberg, 2024).
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Well-being at work has continued to deteriorate for employees in Finland (Yle News, February, 2024).
- Too many Finnish school children fail reading comprehension and numeracy (the foundation for instrumental and epistemic rational thinking) (Ministry of education and culture, April, 2025).
In conclusion, Finland has many women who in accordance with Bushman et al. could stick imaginary pins in equally imaginary voodoo dolls in the evening.
But why?
In Finland, slandering the concept of family as a threat to women has been observed in Finnish state media Yle (Jägerhorn, 2024) which was reiterated by local Hufvudstadsbladet (Forsbacka, 2024). And my observation after participation in three of Finnish-Swedish Children's Rights Days (2022, 2023 a b, and 2024), is that the organizers push for single mother-hood. These actions are supported or triggered by personnel in the social service who's work lacks scientific support (Bergström et al 2022).
Is that good or bad?
Everything that has to do with the human brain and the mind's executive function's, is a combination of nature and nurture. Nature means neuropsychiatric stuff, which is often treated with some sort of medication.
Nurture, on the other hand, means it's a social issue which typically emerges during the first four – five years of life in the home environment (Baker et al. 2020; Bandura, 1977; Barkley, 2001; Baumrind, 1966; Farran och Formby, 2011; Gopnik, 2016; Hart och Risley, 1995; Liu et al. 2017; Olsson, 2022; Tomasello, 2014; Trafton, 2017). And there's a father-effect.
Research demonstrate that children who are brought up with both parents or the father, have better emotional and social adjustment and cognitive development compared to kids who grow up with the mother (LaFlamme et al. 2012; Rolle et al. 2019; Sethna, 2017; Vieno et al. 2009, 2014; Österberg, 2004).
But malnutrition also plays an important role. For example, Docosahexanoic (DHA) and Eicosapentanoic (EPA) fatty acids (Ede, 2019; Poiteton et al. 2020) and choline is also needed (Ylilauri et al. 2019) for the brain to function. People who abstain from animal source food also report issues with mental health (Dobersek et al. 2021, 2023). Österberg (2020) suggest that humans need to consume a plethora of at least 30 micronutrients to sustain mental health.
Conclusion. Bushman et al. observed that aggressive impulses during evenings were associated with low blood sugar. They also noted that women were more aggressive than men. The latter is consistent with research on Domestic violence which can be seen as a manifestation of executive dysfunction (ED). Women's domestic violence and children's ED has been reported by various organizations in Finland. Executive functioning is typically explained by emotional and social adjustment at an early age, as a function of father-relations. Malnutrition, rather than low blood sugar, also plays a significant role for mental health.
Also read:
2025. Finland ranks third in EU for divorce rate, marriage rates remain low. A closer look at the science and the numbers
2024. Why Finland may not be able to reverse the negative trend: The case for illusion of information adequacy
2024. Women's domestic violence, diet-heart hypothesis, and ADHD. The case for Typ 1 & 2 errors and malnutrition
2024. Nutrition psychology. A forgotten disease is raging in Finland, which takes away the work efficiency of working-age People” (Örn).
2024. Nutrition psychology. Dementia (Alzheimer's disease). The case for intermittent fasting
2024. Nutrition psychology. Meat, fat, and health. The case for Continued Influence bias
2024. Beliefs (as opposed of factual knowledge) and self perception will influence your attitudes and life-span
2024. Nutrition psychology. ADHD and Alzheimer's disease in Finland. Nurture is more likely explanation compared to nature
2024. Nutrition psychology. Is women's relational aggressiveness a precursor to Alzheimer's? A comparison between Finland and Sweden
2024. Run, hide, and repeat. Just another case of peregrination because of women's borderline Personality Disorder?
2024. Nutrition psychology. Why are depression and loneliness big issues in Finland? (Why isn't entrepreneurial thinking more prevalent?)
2023. Kvinnor (ofta mammor) med mentala utmaningar (n=111) och aggressioner - en lista med historiska och aktuella händelser
2023. Finns' ability to function is weakening (HS). Finnish Fpa and THL confirms my warnings from 2019. The case for language and nutrition
2023. Finland retains many titles: Life-satisfaction, highest: (1) suicide rate, (2) Alzheimer's rate, and children have mental issues due to [women's] home conflicts and misandry
2022. Nutrition psychology. Is Alzheimer's Disease just another form of diabetes? The case of Finland
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More about my expertise:
Executive coaching for CEOs/managers and workshops to facilitate Organizational Performance, Learning, and Creativity for Problem Solving | Lectures: Nutrition for physical and mental health | Course/lecture: children's emotional and social adjustment and cognitive development | Language training - Swedish | Academy Competency | CV | Teaching skills and experience | Summary of research project | Instagram | Linkedin | YouTube-channel | TikTok | Twitter
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