Psychologist: Culture of Violence Cause of Uptick in Mass Shootings

Americans shouldn’t be surprised that the number of mass shootings is on the rise considering the "culture of violence" promoted in sports and entertainment, psychologist Terry Lyles said Friday on "America’s Forum" on Newsmax TV.

FBI data shows that mass shootings increased to an average of 16.7 per year between 2007 and 2013, compared with 6.4 shootings between 2000 and 2006.

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There is an "anesthetizing effect" of being exposed to so much violence, Lyles noted, which directly contributes to the rise in violent crime.

"Little kids today are watching violent shows, even some of the cartoons are portraying a lot of violence," said Lyles. "It's an outpour when you see someone that picks up a weapons and ends someone's life. It could be a weapon, a car, or their hand in abuse. It could be a lot of things, but it really stems back to the violence that we see every day."

He suggests having daily technology-free time with family and friends, such as dinner at home or in a restaurant, spending time together outdoors or just "create space and time for human contact."

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