Italian scientists from the University of Pisa have discovered an area of the human brain, which can make any person have an overwhelming feeling of jealousy, when this area is affected. This was done in the course of an experiment, which involved patients with schizophrenia, alcoholism, and Parkinson’s disease. These diseases are accompanied by the symptoms of jealousy. According to the head of the research, neuropsychiatrist Donatella Marazzi, if jealousy is a very natural feeling for the person, the scientists pay attention to the biochemical imbalance in the body that can turn this feeling into a dangerous obsession. According to the researcher, in its extreme forms, jealousy provokes terrible consequences that can urge a person to commit a suicide or murder.
The area of the brain that is being studied includes the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which governs such feelings as empathy and guilt, and the amygdala, which is responsible for the state of fear, anxiety, and jealousy. The scientists believe that jealousy is a pathological disease, also known as “Othello syndrome” (it was jealousy that forced the character of Shakespeare’s tragedy to strangle his wife). Severe forms of the disease presuppose consulting a doctor immediately, as the person becomes dangerous not only for himself/herself, but for other people as well
