London - If you’re the sociable sort, this news could go to your head.
Bits of the brain are bigger and better connected in people who have lots of friends, a study has found. And the more sociable you are, the greater the boost.
Oxford University scientists asked 18 men and women how many friends they had met, spoken to on the phone or emailed over the past month.
The average number was around 20 but some were in touch with more than 40. Others made contact with only ten pals.
Scans showed that around half a dozen brain regions were bigger in those who were more sociable – and the more friends they had, the larger they were.
One of the sociability regions was the anterior cingulate cortex, which we use to keep track of what other people are doing.
Scans showed that connections between this area and another that we use to work out how others are feeling were particularly strong in sociable types. The Society for Neuroscience’s annual conference also heard that there were strong connections between the various areas involved in sociability.
Researcher MaryAnn Noonan said: “In more sociable humans, perhaps these communication pathways are more like motorways than windy country roads, making information processing more efficient and better.”
With earlier work in monkeys producing similar results, the researchers think it is not the case that sociable people are simply born with brains that are better wired for friendship.
Instead, they believe that people with lots of friends use certain brain regions more often, leading to them growing to keep up with the social demands.
However, sociable types should note that the finding doesn’t mean that they have bigger brains overall. It is thought that other brain regions, which aren’t used when in socialising, shrink in compensation. - Daily Mail