Matthew D. Lieberman Boeken

Love hurts. Literally. In fact, the breakup of a relationship is felt much the same way as the pain of a broken limb. This is just one of a number of startling insights coming from the new field of social cognitive neuroscience, which explores how our brain engages in social activity. We are, it seems, hard-wired to be social. We have evolved to survive complex social groups and that has moulded the architecture of our brains. So deep does this sociality go that social ostracism causes profound mental anguish. Words may indeed hurt as much as sticks and stones. Matthew D. Lieberman reveals how our brains drive us to seek, assess, and value social contact, and what these new findings mean for the way we manage our modern societies.

In Social, psychologist Matthew Lieberman delves into groundbreaking research in social neuroscience, revealing that our need to connect with others is more fundamental than our need for food or shelter. Our brains dedicate spare time to understanding the social world, and by age ten, we have already invested 10,000 hours learning to navigate social interactions. This need to connect is a primary driver of our behavior, challenging the belief that pain and pleasure alone guide us. Lieberman's research, including original studies from his UCLA lab, shows that our brains process social pain and pleasure similarly to physical sensations. Fortunately, our brains have evolved mechanisms to secure our social standing, enabling us to read others' minds and understand their hopes and fears, which helps us coordinate our lives effectively. This social wiring often prompts us to suppress selfish impulses for the greater good, leading to behaviors that may seem irrational but are essential for our species' success. The findings in Social have significant real-world implications, suggesting that minimizing social interactions in schools and workplaces can hinder engagement and learning. Instead, fostering social connections can enhance productivity and overall well-being.