Spit!

Take a breathalyzer test to find out why you’re fat–Take a spit test to find out why you’re violent.

A new study indicates that a simple saliva test could be an effective tool in predicting violent behavior such as bullying, since there’s a link between salivary concentrations of certain hormones and aggression. And new evidence demonstrates a link between video games and youth violence and delinquency.

Adolescent forensic psychiatrist Drew Barzman says, "We believe salivary hormone testing has the potential to help doctors monitor which treatments are working best for their patients. And because mental health professionals are far more likely to be assaulted on the job than the average worker, it could offer a quick way to anticipate violent behavior in child psychiatric units. Eventually, we hope this testing might also provide a tool to help improve safety in schools."

When it comes to the controversial question of whether or not violent video games make kids violent, sociologist Matt DeLisi says that when it comes to his research, “Even if you account for the child’s sex, age, race, the age they were first referred to juvenile court– which is a very powerful effect–and a bunch of other media effects, like screen time and exposure. Even with all of that, the video game measure still mattered."

Psychologist Craig Anderson says, "Can we say from this study that Adam Lanza, or any of the others, went off and killed people because of media violence? You can’t take the stand of the NRA that it’s strictly video games and not guns. You also can’t take the stand of the entertainment industry that it has nothing to do with media violence that it’s all about guns and not about media violence. They’re both wrong and they’re both right, both are causal risk factors."

The question is: How can we escape? (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this incredible show!)