Ben Rein Says 3 Brain Chemicals Drive Social Connection in New Book
Updated
Updated · Goodnet · Jul 4
Ben Rein Says 3 Brain Chemicals Drive Social Connection in New Book
3 articles · Updated · Goodnet · Jul 4
Summary
Three neurochemicals—oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine—help explain why human brains are built to seek relationships, Ben Rein argues in his new book "Why Brains Need Friends."
Oxytocin not only activates the brain’s reward system during close contact but is also linked to lower stress, anxiety and inflammation, while serotonin and dopamine reinforce the urge to socialize again.
Rein says empathy and unconscious mimicry further support bonding, and he argues practices such as meditation or compassion training can strengthen empathic responses when they are blunted.
In-person interaction remains the strongest form of connection, he writes, because texts, calls and video chats tend to leave people lonelier and less supported than face-to-face contact.
The book also warns that threat responses in the amygdala and modern barriers—from technology habits to isolation—can deter socializing even though connection is essential to brain health.