And do things like grab the last cookie from the plate.
Parts of your brain’s frontal lobe are home to your empathy networks.
Fig. 1 by University of California / Via youtube.com
If you damage those systems, which help you assess how other people are feeling, you can become impulsive — even rude! Scientists term it acquired sociopathy, meaning you essentially act in ways that disregard others, according to this study.
In a new video, UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner explains how their lab studies have found giving people power mimics that type of brain trauma.
Fig. 1 by University of California / Via youtube.com
Power makes you more likely to engage in risky behavior, like flirting inappropriately or gambling — or being a jerkface to your employees.
In other words, you lose touch with other people, he says. And that means being the one to nab that last cookie hanging out on a plate and noisily eat it because you don’t really care about what others think.
That’s not to say anyone who has the last cookie is an asshat: It’s how you go for it.
This is not meant to be confused with Cookie Monster.
PBS / Via giphy.com
He just happens to really love baked goods.
Watch the full video here!
