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Invisible threads: how the brain chooses friends
Why does a stranger become close in 7 minutes?
In 1997, the psychologist Arthur Aron proved that the joint discussion of personal topics creates the illusion of long-term friendship. His "36 Questions for Convergence" experiment is still used by intelligence agencies for recruitment. But what really drives our choices?
3 neurochemical factors of friendship
- dopamine “Encouragement” for similar views
- Oxytocin Trust molecule (produced by eye contact)
- serotonin Stabilizer of long-term relationships
Dr. Lydia Denworth, author of Friendship: Evolution, Biology, and the Superpower.
Top 5 Paradoxes of Social Choice
The paradox of similarity
People with 86% of similarities are suspicious (Nature Human Behaviour, 2022)
The Coffee Machine Effect
Accidental encounters increase intimacy by 40% (MIT Social Experiments)
How friendship changes DNA
Fact.
A University of California (2023) study found that long-time friends have similar patterns in immune system genes. This explains the phenomenon of "childhood friends" whose communication persists for decades.
4 Rules of Eternal Friendship
Synchronization of neuroplasticity (University of Oxford study)Controlled vulnerability Theory of social exchange (John Thibault, 1959)
Friendship as the Art of Balance
As the anthropologist Robin Dunbar points out, “A man can maintain only 150 stable bonds.” But 5 of them will be your social supercomputer. Choose those who make your brain glow – literally and figuratively.
