According to information published in the journal PLoS ONE, repeated exposure to media violence causes viewers to express less activity in the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex of their brains. As a result, they are less able to control their own behavior. Furthermore, they may be more prone to react aggressively. These findings agree with observations gleaned from studies by Anderson and Gentile (Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents; 2007), which claim that viewers who play violent video games are less likely to express caring and helpful behaviors toward their peers. While these games may not necessarily create sinners, they certainly do not appear to foster saints.
Many commentators on media violence are dismayed that most heroes who express violent behavior in films fail to receive punishment. Rather, their actions are usually viewed as justified, and these heroes are often rewarded for their behavior. Young viewers of such films are extremely impressionable, especially when these films in question present situations that appear realistic. Unfortunately, upon viewing these "realistic" scenes, children may develop unrealistic expectations regarding violent behavior.
In lieu of learning positive problem-solving skills, viewers of TV violence are often led to believe that diplomatic solutions are not worth the time and patience they require. Schoolchildren who watch TV violence daily are more likely to push their classmates when trying to resolve problems. In a study conducted by the University of British Columbia in 1973, researchers compared children from a culture without television access to those who watched TV. After comparing the levels of aggression for each group, researchers deemed those with TV access to be more aggressive. Furthermore, once TV was introduced to the other children, they too began to express aggressive behaviors such as hitting, biting and shoving.
Viewers of violent programming are more likely than their peers to feel threatened or respond aggressively to external stimuli. After hours of watching people get blown up, gunned down, chased with hatchets or beheaded, viewers are likely to be more than just a little jittery. These jitters are defined as a "hostile attribution bias," which means a distrust toward others. Paranoia becomes a deciding factor in how viewers of violence will interpret events. Thus, even the good intentions of another person may appear threatening to someone who has just viewed hours of slasher films.
Children mirror what they see others do. If children spend hour after hour each week watching people engage in violent behavior, they will probably not dream of become winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. Rather, they may try to duplicate the violence they see on TV in order to make their humdrum world more appealing. Many serial killers have cited an overexposure to the media as a trigger for their addictive patterns with regard to violence.