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Why Torture Doesn't Work: The Neuroscience of Interrogation
Torture is banned because it is cruel and inhumane. But as Shane O’Mara writes in this account of the human brain under stress, another reason torture should never be condoned is because it does not work the way torturers assume it does.
In countless films and TV shows such as Homeland and 24, torture is portrayed as a harsh necessity. If cruelty can extract secrets that will save lives, so be it. CIA officers and others conducted torture using precisely this justification. But does torture accomplish what its defenders say it does? For ethical reasons, there are no scientific studies of torture. But neuroscientists know a lot about how the brain reacts to fear, extreme temperatures, starvation, thirst, sleep deprivation, and immersion in freezing water, all tools of the torturer’s trade. These stressors create problems for memory, mood, and thinking, and sufferers predictably produce information that is deeply unreliable—and, for intelligence purposes, even counterproductive. As O’Mara guides us through the neuroscience of suffering, he reveals the brain to be much more complex than the brute calculations of torturers have allowed, and he points the way to a humane approach to interrogation, founded in the science of brain and behavior.
Torture may be effective in forcing confessions, as in Stalin’s Russia. But if we want information that we can depend on to save lives, O’Mara writes, our model should be Napoleon: “It has always been recognized that this way of interrogating men, by putting them to torture, produces nothing worthwhile.”
In countless films and TV shows such as Homeland and 24, torture is portrayed as a harsh necessity. If cruelty can extract secrets that will save lives, so be it. CIA officers and others conducted torture using precisely this justification. But does torture accomplish what its defenders say it does? For ethical reasons, there are no scientific studies of torture. But neuroscientists know a lot about how the brain reacts to fear, extreme temperatures, starvation, thirst, sleep deprivation, and immersion in freezing water, all tools of the torturer’s trade. These stressors create problems for memory, mood, and thinking, and sufferers predictably produce information that is deeply unreliable—and, for intelligence purposes, even counterproductive. As O’Mara guides us through the neuroscience of suffering, he reveals the brain to be much more complex than the brute calculations of torturers have allowed, and he points the way to a humane approach to interrogation, founded in the science of brain and behavior.
Torture may be effective in forcing confessions, as in Stalin’s Russia. But if we want information that we can depend on to save lives, O’Mara writes, our model should be Napoleon: “It has always been recognized that this way of interrogating men, by putting them to torture, produces nothing worthwhile.”
290 pages, Hardcover
First published November 11, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 19, 2016
An excellent read even if you are not conversant with the neuroscience field of study. There is also ample discussion of The US Senate Torture Report. I was surprised to learn that the trail to bin Laden did not begin with a disclosure from Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who was waterboarded 183 times. The first mention of Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti - the nickname of the al-Qaeda courier who ultimately led to bin Laden came from a detainee held in another country, who it is believed was not tortured. Understanding how stresses on he brain inhibit ones ability to access memory is an eye opener which leads the Author to propose an entirely different approach to interrogations.
November 2, 2020
This is not an easy book. I do not encourage those who've experienced its subject matter to give it a read, except perhaps for the healing it may contain. It is a great book and a powerful read. I dogeared half of it, easily, and am writing copious notes during my second read.
Still, it is not an easy book. It brought up issues I thought I had dealt with and explored in enough detail to keep the coffin closed.
On the technical side, it is an excellent work on neurophysiology and how memory works, how the body deals with the past, and does so on just the other side of popsci; what's not enough science for me is, I understand, too much science for others.
Still, a worthy read and in the end, something I'm glad I read.
Still, it is not an easy book. It brought up issues I thought I had dealt with and explored in enough detail to keep the coffin closed.
On the technical side, it is an excellent work on neurophysiology and how memory works, how the body deals with the past, and does so on just the other side of popsci; what's not enough science for me is, I understand, too much science for others.
Still, a worthy read and in the end, something I'm glad I read.
March 30, 2024
A phenomenally important book. This is a must read for anyone interested in intelligence gathering, as well as human rights more broadly. A much welcomed antidote to the common misconceptions in popular culture and discourse surrounding intelligence gathering, investigations and torture. The book is littered with scientific evidence but remains very accessible and I highly recommend this book. The topics discussed are of critical importance and they are addressed head on. Some of the material in the book is graphic and difficult to read so it is not for the faint of heart - a difficult, but necessary read for all those interested in public affairs.
August 15, 2018
This book was so informative and eye opening. I have never personally supported the use of torture but learning more about how the 🧠 works and how #memory works has been fascinating. &has made it very clear #WhyTortureDoesntWork using the #NeuroscienceofInterrogation .. I truly suggest that everyone read and digest this gem. Thank you Shane O'Mara for writing this &providing more material for digesting in Further Reading.
July 30, 2018
deals more than adequately with why torture doesn't work, but its main scientific background is on psychology and neuropsychology. So it becomes a bit too biologically determinist for my liking, while some of the more intriguing philosophical areas (such as torture eliciting just what the torturer wants to hear, or the fluidity of memory) are tackled in a hurry
December 15, 2019
An interesting and energetic book that dissects the folk psychology on why people think torture would work, referencing the consensus that in the light of neuroscience there is no reason why it would work. I began reading assuming it was a specialist work, but it really is for the general public.
May 30, 2021
A well-researched, extremely thorough study of how common torture methods actually impact the brain. Namely, that they impair memory and cognitive function, which is the exact opposite of what interrogators should want. I highly recommend this book, as well as Darius Rejali’s Torture and Democracy.
September 16, 2019
A well-written and thought-provoking examination of a controversial topic.
February 9, 2021
I found this book to be very informative and convincing even outside of the context of torture and more so with trauma itself.
March 12, 2025
Very interesting and brings up numerous very valid points, a bit redundant with certain themes but it only serves to drive home the intended point that: torture, doesn’t work ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
January 26, 2017
Of course it doesn't. Rated one star after a page of this (not freely accessible) discussion that claims to be "a moral stand" in response to "consequentialist" or "deontological" or "de-instrumental" arguments from proponents of torture. "We will fight them on the beaches and entirely on their terms" — i.e. he believes (and is now financially incentivised to convince others to believe through spreading this mode of thought) that any scientist who refuses to accept the existence of moral torture is an obstacle to be overcome. Less of this, more explaining science to the public and among scientists.
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February 4, 2016Very good science work on how brain reacts negatively to stress of torture to decrease memory
and generally make the brain more inefficient. Detailed explanation of studies showing how body stress by near drowning, cold, heat, sleep deprivation, beatings, etc. all keep brain from clear
thinking.
and generally make the brain more inefficient. Detailed explanation of studies showing how body stress by near drowning, cold, heat, sleep deprivation, beatings, etc. all keep brain from clear
thinking.
May 17, 2016
Soundly researched and well reasoned. All one needs to make a cogent case against the efficacy of torture.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews