Ever notice how easy it is to feel connected to someone if they're wearing your team's jersey or a t-shirt of your favorite band?

You might think it's cause it's familiar or you found something in common, but in truth, it's another way we find belonging.

In this mini-episode of Brain Blown, we explore how our brains create powerful connections beyond human relationships:

• Discover how our brains attach to ideas and symbols as strongly as to people
• Learn how these attachments can trigger reactions as intense as physical disgust
• Uncover how our deep-seated need to belong shapes our behavior and morality

Join us for a quick dive into the fascinating world of belonging, where your brain treats logos and ideologies with the same intensity as human connections.

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers!

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at info@brainblownpodcast.com.

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

• "The Emerging Neuroscience of Social Media" Dar Meshi, Diana I. Tamir, and Hauke R. Heekeren
• "Social Influence on Positive Youth Development: A Developmental Neuroscience Perspective" Eva H. Telzer, Jorien van Hoorn, Christina R. Rogers, Kathy T. Do
• "The neuroscience of social feelings: mechanisms of adaptive social functioning" Paul J. Eslinger, Silke Anders, Tommaso Ballarini, Sydney Boutros, Soren Krach, Annalina V. Mayer, Jorge Moll, Tamara L. Newton, Matthias L. Schroeter, Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza, Jacob Raber, Gavin B. Sullivan, James E. Swain, Leroy Lowe, Roland Zahn
• "Brain and Social Networks: Fundamental Building Blocks of Human Experience" Emily B. Falk and Danielle S. Bassett
• "Mind the Gender Gap" Gina Rippon
• "Change: How to Make Big Things Happen" Damon Centola

Your brain on social media: It's not just addictive, it's transformative. Here's why.

In this episode of the Brain Blown Podcast, we're logging into the neuroscience of social media and belonging.

We'll explore:

• Why that notification "ping" feels so irresistible
• How social media taps into our primal need for connection
• The surprising ways our brains react to likes, comments, and shares
• Why teenagers' brains are particularly susceptible to social media's allure
• The neural pathways that light up when we're scrolling – and how they're changing over time

From the prefrontal cortex to the ventral striatum, we're mapping the brain's social media hotspots. Join us as we uncover the fascinating relationship between our neurons and our newsfeeds.

Plus, we'll discuss how this digital revolution is providing neuroscientists with unprecedented insights into human behavior and social cognition.

Tune in, and you might just see your next post through a whole new lens.

Look out for more mini-episodes on this topic in the coming weeks!

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers!

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at info@brainblownpodcast.com.

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

• "The Emerging Neuroscience of Social Media" Dar Meshi, Diana I. Tamir, and Hauke R. Heekeren
• "Social Influence on Positive Youth Development: A Developmental Neuroscience Perspective" Eva H. Telzer, Jorien van Hoorn, Christina R. Rogers, Kathy T. Do
• "The neuroscience of social feelings: mechanisms of adaptive social functioning" Paul J. Eslinger, Silke Anders, Tommaso Ballarini, Sydney Boutros, Soren Krach, Annalina V. Mayer, Jorge Moll, Tamara L. Newton, Matthias L. Schroeter, Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza, Jacob Raber, Gavin B. Sullivan, James E. Swain, Leroy Lowe, Roland Zahn
• "Brain and Social Networks: Fundamental Building Blocks of Human Experience" Emily B. Falk and Danielle S. Bassett
• "Mind the Gender Gap" Gina Rippon
• "Change: How to Make Big Things Happen" Damon Centola

Around the pandemic we saw an explosion of social media influencers -

You know, those ads of random internet people (maybe you've seen before) casually chatting to you about a product or experience they had that you'll totally love.

As it turns out, these so-called "peer" influencers may be changing our brains more than we realize.

Enjoy this mini episode as not only a wrap-up to influence, but a preview for one of the next full episodes coming out this season!

For more ways to get involved with the Brain Blown Community, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/brainblownpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn about our offers!

If you have any topic suggestions for future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out! Send us an email at info@brainblownpodcast.com.

We'd love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

Introduction to the Journal of Marketing Research, Special Issue on Neuroscience and Marketing -- Colin Camerer and Carolyn Yoon

Persuasion, Influence, and Value: Perspectives from Communication and Social Neuroscience -- Emily Falk and Christin Scholz

What can neuroscience offer marketing research? -- Billy Sung and Nicholas J. Wilson

Neuroscience in Marketing: Assessment of Advertisement; Memory by Means of Facial Muscles; Movement Analysis -- Calga Pinar, Sanem Alkibay