why do we like talking to people? of course, not everybody does. but most ofus enjoy interacting with other human beings at least occasionally. it just...feels good. but why? why does it feel good? well, according to research published thisweek, it’s because of a compound that’s released in a part of your brain that controlsmotivation and reward, in response to social interaction. biologists often call this compound “thebliss molecule,†but it’s actually a lot like … pot.
it all begins with a hormone and neurotransmitter,that we’ve told you about before: oxytocin. it’s been found to promote trust, relaxation,psychological stability, and romantic attachment; as well as help women give birth. it even plays a role in that bond you feelbetween you and your dog. but it’s most famous for its role in makingyou care about other people. high oxytocin levels are most often observedin women during breastfeeding, between couples in the first six months of a relationship,as well as during and after sex. previous studies have shown that people whohave been given extra doses of oxytocin are better at detecting emotional cues in facialexpressions.
they also express greater concern for, andsexual attraction to, their partners, and show fewer signs of attraction to anybodyelse. how oxytocin does all this stuff, however,was something of a mystery. but we now know that a key player is anandamide. anandamide is an endocannabinoid. that meansit activates the cannabinoid receptors in your brain. and if you think that sounds like ‘cannabis,’there’s a reason for that. the active ingredient in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol, whichattaches to the same receptors in your brain, and, socially, it has pretty similar effects.
it makes you feel less hostile, and also makesyou really want to talk to people...like, about anything. maybe about that cool dreamyou had, or about how clouds are, like, totally incredible. an international group of neuroscientistsfound that social contact made the brains of mice produce more anandamide. meaning,being around other mice was rewarding them by making them feel calm and fulfilled, aswell as making them want to be around other mice even more. they did this by isolating the mice firstfor 24 hours. then, half the mice were reunited with all of their mouse-friends, and the otherhalf stayed in isolation.
the mouse brains were then removed and flash-frozen,so that they could be tested for anandamide. they also looked at mice that were missinga gene that codes for the enzyme that breaks down anandamide. when given a choice between two kinds of bedding,those mice tended to prefer the type they’d had in a cage with other mice, even thoughthey’d spent the same amount of time with the other type, in a cage by themselves. mice who had the usual set of genes -- andtherefore could break down anandamide -- didn’t choose the social bedding as often. so oxytocin triggers the production of anandamide,which stimulates the cannabinoid receptors,
which makes you feel chill and good aboutbeing around other people. the researchers hope that this discovery canbe used to help treat certain kinds of social anxiety, or even the social effects of someautism disorders. so that’s what makes you happy. here’ssomething that’ll probably make you sad. we’re all tired of hearing how bad it isto eat sugar. i mean...it’s delicious! and if you cut back on calories elsewhere,you can afford to have that candy bar, right…? i mean...calories are calories! turns out, no, they’re not. in a paper published this week in the journalobesity, researchers at uc san francisco showed
that sugar isn’t necessarily bad for youbecause it has so many calories; it’s just bad for you because it’s sugar. they studied 43 young people between the agesof 9 and 18, all of whom were medically obese and suffering from some kind of metabolicdisorder, like hypertension, or high triglyceride levels, which are a sign of fatty liver. for nine days, the subjects were given foodwith the same number of calories that they were used to eating, but with almost no sugar.and they were not feeding the kids healthy food; this was starchy, fatty food like pizzaand potato chips. the goal was not to make them lose weight:in fact if the subjects started losing weight,
the researchers fed them more. because theirgoal was to keep their weight stable, so researchers could see how their bodies responded to nolonger needing to metabolize sugar. and in just nine days - again, eating thesame number of calories as they always ate, and staying at the same weight - the subjects’health improved across the board. their blood pressure decreased, their cholesterol levelswent down, their blood sugar and insulin levels dropped dramatically, and their liver functiongot better. because, it turns out, your body doesn’tmetabolize all calories in the same way. sugar turns to fat in your liver, where too muchof that fat can lead to inflammation and scarring. so, i know you’ve heard it a thousand times,but...maybe stay away from the candy bars.
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