The social brain and its superpowers: Matthew Lieberman

Published on Oct 7, 2013
TEDx video

Neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman explains that through his studies he's learned that our kryptonite is ignoring the importance of our social superpowers and by building on our social intuition, we can make ourselves smarter, happier, and more productive. In this TEDx Talk, Lieberman explores groundbreaking research in social neuroscience that reveals that our need to connect with other people is even more fundamental than our need for food or shelter and that the social pain and pleasure we experience has just as much impact as physical pain and pleasure.

Human Brains Are Hardwired for Empathy, Friendship

Science Daily
Originally published August 23, 2013

Here is an excerpt:

"The correlation between self and friend was remarkably similar," Coan said. "The finding shows the brain's remarkable capacity to model self to others; that people close to us become a part of ourselves, and that is not just metaphor or poetry, it's very real. Literally we are under threat when a friend is under threat. But not so when a stranger is under threat."

Coan said this likely is because humans need to have friends and allies who they can side with and see as being the same as themselves. And as people spend more time together, they become more similar.

The entire story is here.

Survey: 1 in 4 Teens Bullied at School

By Salynn Bolyes

WebMD Health News

One in four high school students in a recent survey said they were victims of school bullying, and nearly 16% said they were victims of cyberbullying.

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Among the major findings from the survey:

• 33% of gay, lesbian, and other non-heterosexually identified teens reported being victims of cyberbullying, compared to just under 15% of teens who identified themselves as heterosexual.
• 47% of teens who reported being victims of both forms of bullying also reported having symptoms of depression, compared to 34% of those who reported being victims of cyberbullying only and 27% of those reporting being bullied only at school.
• Victims of both forms of bullying were also most likely to report having attempted suicide, with 15% saying that they had tried to kill themselves, compared to 9%, 4%, and 2%, respectively, of teens who reported being cyberbully victims, school bully victims, or those who were not victims of bullying.

Cyberbullying victims also reported poorer school performance than students who were not victims, and less attachment to the school they attended.

The story can be found here.

The entire research article can be found here.

Here is a portion of the conclusion:

Another important reason for schools to address cyberbullying is the link between victimization and school attachment and self-reported school performance. This is true even for the 6% of students who were victimized only through cyberbullying. Although this cross-sectional survey cannot make attributions of causality, cyberbullying may be a contributing factor to negative school  experiences, suggesting the need for schools to incorporate cyberbullying into their antibullying programs and policies. Efforts to increase student engagement in school, connectedness to peers and teachers, and academic success may also promote a climate in which school and cyberbullying are less likely to occur.