Human Connection: The Neurobiology Behind It!

Human Beings have a powerful need to conect with each other. Our brains are wired to seek out social interaction and to respond positively to feelings of empathy and connection with others. This is why effective communication, which includes both verbal and non-verbal cues, is so important for building and maintaining strong relationships. By understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of human communication, we can learn how to better connect with others and build stronger, more fulfilling relationships.

Our journey through evolution reveals that the human brain, shaped by both natural elements like volcanic activity and climate shifts and social dynamics, has developed into a sophisticated “prediction machine.” The ability to navigate hazards and opportunities in the environment spurred the growth of our brains, emphasizing endurance running, power scavenging, and collaboration within social groups. Additionally, as humans are social beings, the connection between neurobiology and human interaction is crucial to our development. The human brain is wired to connect with others and experience social interactions, which contribute to our overall well-being and cognitive growth.

Notably, the Social Brain Hypothesis suggests that group efforts and polyadic communication played a crucial role in the expansion of our brains. This correlated with a tripling in brain size, with a surge in connectivity, paving the way for the intricate communication circuitry we possess today. For deeper understanding of the image please go https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=113477

Emotional Intelligence and Super-Cooperators:

Our ability to imitate and synchronize with others, thanks to the mirror neuron system (MNS), contributes to emotional intelligence. This evolution from social intelligence allows us to understand and predict the actions and intentions of our peers, fostering social bonds. Super-cooperation, a result of direct and indirect reciprocity, network reciprocity, and kin selection reciprocity, becomes a driving force in our achievements. These specialized cells fire not only when an individual performs an action but also when they observe someone else performing the same action. This phenomenon enables us to empathize with others by mirroring their emotions, intentions, and even physical sensations. It forms the foundation of social cognition and allows us to understand and relate to the experiences of those around us. Its interesting when humans are unable to communicate, they tend to engage themselves in arguments or conflicts.

Current modes of human communication:

We communicate using different ways, like looking at each other, facial expressions, hand movements, body language, music, art, speech melody, language, and even smell. All these ways help us share information, feelings, and intentions.

1) Eyes and Gaze: People and some animals have special eyes that can show where they’re looking. The whites of our eyes make it easy to see where we’re looking. This helps us understand what others are thinking, called the theory of mind. Eye movements, blinking, and direction of gaze give information about emotions and intentions.

2) Pupil Signals: Our pupils, the black part of our eyes, react to different things. They get larger with pleasant things and smaller with unpleasant things. Pupil size tells about emotions like excitement and anger. Pupils give important information about emotions, and we can’t control them consciously.

3) Facial Expression: We can make many facial expressions, and they’re crucial for face-to-face communication. Tiny facial gestures can show if someone is lying. Genuine smiles involve both the eyes and mouth, and mimicking facial expressions is common. Positive emotions like smiling have health benefits.

4) Gestures: Hand movements, or gestures, are older than language and emphasize spoken words. Different hand-to-face gestures can indicate lying. Gestures are part of language evolution, and gesture therapy helps people with language difficulties.

5) Body Language: How we position our body conveys messages. Crossed arms may mean reservation, hands on hips suggest aggressiveness, and a head tilt shows evaluation. Non-verbal cues give information about feelings or thoughts.

6) Musicality: Music, a form of communication older than language, promotes cooperation. Making music together strengthens social bonds and evokes emotions.

7) Visual Art: Before language, visual art was communication. Cave art conveys important concepts. Visual art helps communication, especially when language abilities are impaired.

8) Prosody: Speech melody, or prosody, conveys meaning. Changes in tone and accentuation can alter the message.

9) Language and Communication: Language is complex, but non-verbal communication, like tone of voice and body language, is significant. Reading is a good way to learn.

10) Olfaction: Our sense of smell is ancient and powerful. Smells influence emotions, even during sleep. Smells are processed unconsciously and affect overall well-being.

Trauma’s Neural Impact

The intricate interplay between human connection and biology becomes particularly evident in the context of trauma. Neurobiologically, our brains are wired for social connection, and the quality of these connections significantly influences our mental and emotional well-being. Traumatic experiences can deeply impact the neural circuits associated with social bonding and trust. The stress response triggered by trauma activates various biological systems, including the release of stress hormones like cortisol, which can affect the amygdala and hippocampus, areas crucial for memory and emotional regulation. Consequently, trauma may disrupt the neural pathways involved in forming secure attachments and result in difficulties in trusting and connecting with others. Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of human connection sheds light on the profound consequences of trauma, emphasizing the importance of supportive relationships in mitigating its effects and fostering healing.

Deployment of Communication Modalities:

There are many ways to communicate without using words. Communication is not just about words; it also relies on what we see and hear. But nowadays, our communication has become limited, kind of like Morse code limiting messages in the past. This change might mean we’re missing out on some aspects of human communication.

Our senses and communication methods evolved to help us in social situations where things are always changing. Lack of social connection can lead to problems like depression and anxiety, which are big health issues worldwide. Language needs our attention, but our brains can only focus on a little information at a time. We can’t really multitask; we switch tasks. In places like emergency rooms or air traffic control, multitasking can lead to mistakes. Even talking on the phone while driving can be as bad as drunk driving for our attention.

Our brains have hubs that connect different circuits. These hubs are crucial for attention and memory but can get damaged from injury, disease, fatigue, or stress. Keeping these hubs healthy is important for our cognitive functions. The brain works like a network, following a small world model with connector hubs, provincial hubs, and the communities they connect. Keeping this network working well is essential for effective communication, the key to super-communication.

Sometimes, our brain’s social circuitry can go wrong. Some people are born or develop conditions that make them asocial (like Autism Spectrum or Asperger’s syndrome), hypersocial (like Williams syndrome), or dyssocial (like frontotemporal lobe dementia). There’s also Geschwind-Gastaut syndrome, which can include hypernarrative and hypergraphic tendencies, nascent philosophical interests, and loquacious tendencies.

• Asocial: conditions like autism spectrum disorder, including Asperger’s syndrome, where difficulties with socializing, recognizing social cues, and avoiding eye contact are dominant.
• Hypersocial: Williams syndrome is a congenital condition characterized by being hypersocial, hypermusical, and hypernarrative.
• Dysocial: frontotemporal lobe dementia and disorders that result in low empathy, poor sociability, impaired social skills, and disinhibitory behavior, despite otherwise normal cognitive functioning.
• Geschwind-Gastaut syndrome: This condition may include hypernarrative and hypergraphic tendencies, interpersonal viscosity syndrome, nascent philosophical interests, and loquacious tendencies.

Solutions and concluding thoughts:

To ensure effective communication, individuals are encouraged to engage in activities that promote brain health, socialization, and the deployment of diverse communication modalities. Understanding the evolutionary roots of communication and simulating traditional, multisensory communication methods when it matters most can enhance the quality and impact of our interactions. The surge in mental health issues today is linked to a lack of meaningful human connections, emphasizing the vital role of genuine interactions in our well-being.

References:

Hoffmann, M. (2021). The Neurobiology of Human Super-Communication: Insights for Medicine and Business. World Journal of Neuroscience, 11(4), 267–277. DOI: 10.4236/wjns.2021.114021

Hietanen, J.K. (2002). Social Attention Orienting Integrates Visual Information from Head and Body Orientation. Psychological Research, 66, 174–179.