Study ties brain structure size to socializing

[Jove]

Source: Study ties brain structure size to socializing - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK – Do you spend time with a lot of friends? That might mean a particular part of your brain is larger than usual.

It's the amygdala, which lies deep inside. Brain scans of 58 volunteers in a preliminary study indicated that the bigger the amygdala, the more friends and family the volunteers reported seeing regularly.

That makes sense because the amygdala is at the center of a brain network that's important for socializing, says Lisa Feldman Barrett, an author of the work published online Sunday by the journal Nature Neuroscience.

For example, the network helps us recognize whether somebody is a stranger or an acquaintance, and a friend or a foe, said Barrett, of Northeastern University in Boston.

But does having a bigger amygdala lead to more friends, or does socializing with a lot of friends create a bigger amygdala? The study can't sort that out. But Barrett said it might be a bit of both.

She said her study now must be replicated by further research.

The work, supported by the federal government, was aimed at uncovering basic knowledge rather than producing any immediate practical payoff, she said. But it might someday lead to ways to help people maintain active social lives, she said.

People have one amygdala in the left half of the brain and another in the right half. The findings of the new study held true for each one.

Arthur Toga, a brain-mapping expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, who didn't participate in the study, called the work well done and the statistical results strong. The idea of linking a brain structure to human behavior is "interesting and important," he said.

Amygdala research made headlines earlier this month when researchers reported on a woman without a working amygdala. The woman felt no fear in threatening situations.

If this study is accurate, then I may have a small amygdala, but I am well aware of my introverted status compared to my extroverted siblings.

What do you think of this article? Does it make sense to you?

[ZombieSquirrel]

But does having a bigger amygdala lead to more friends, or does socializing with a lot of friends create a bigger amygdala? The study can't sort that out. But Barrett said it might be a bit of both.

I wonder if it "shrinks" as I am way less social than I used to be. It's mostly due to the fact that I am 2400 miles away from my family and my friends who are closest to me. Did a bigger amygdala make it easier for me to make friends? Was I born that way of did I grow it that way?

I should bust out my MRI pics to look to see how my melon rates.

My head hurts too much to really think much more on the topic....

[keymaker]

This is waaaayyy over my head! But I think it is amazing the things people can discover.

[MSD]

Originally Posted by Jove

What do you think of this article? Does it make sense to you?

Considering I've never taken a good look at my amygdala, I'll have to trust the researchers on this one.

[purplelirpa]

Have you heard of the monkeysphere?

Monkeysphere

[zenda]

^^^
Had a good read - dang fine article
Thanks

[Fremen]

I named my amygdala, Abdullah.

Btw, I have a hard time believing anyone that works with the brain is an "expert".

Anyway, maybe they could take a group of people with small amygdalas and see if they can get them to grow in a series of controlled social experiments.

[Plan9]

Great, now I need pills to expand the parts on both ends.

[purplelirpa]

Originally Posted by Plan9

Great, now I need pills to expand the parts on both ends.

Well, pills may, in fact, get your more friends--you may be on the right track here.

[MSD]

Originally Posted by Fremen

I named my amygdala, Abdullah.

Btw, I have a hard time believing anyone that works with the brain is an "expert".

Anyway, maybe they could take a group of people with small amygdalas and see if they can get them to grow in a series of controlled social experiments.

Drop pairs of them into opposite ends of social functions and take bets on how long it takes them to end up on the sidelines talking only to each other. Use the profits from that to fund more research.

[Iliftrocks]

Teeny, tiny amygdala.

[bagatelle]

Originally Posted by purplelirpa

Have you heard of the monkeysphere?

Monkeysphere

Nice reading. This number of 150 people was in my mind, when I was trying to find a link to a certain tv-documentary for my post about the limit, when we start regarding other people as strangers, not friends.

Um... how many active people are there in this forum?