The Effects of Social Network Structure on the Brain
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published a study in which they examined the effect of social network structure on brain activity. The study was conducted on 80 teenage boys in which the participants engaged in a simulated game. The simulation starts with a ball being tossed around a group of friends, but in the second half of the game the participant becomes excluded from the game. Researchers studied the changes in brain activity that occurred from the first phase of the game to the second phase. The effects on the mentalizing system–separate regions of the brain that help us consider the views of others–were the specific focus of this study. Using social media, the researchers were able to get insight into the participants’ social network structure. Interestingly, the study found correlations between more dynamic brain activity and sparser social networks. That is, people who tend to have a less interconnected social network are more likely to have higher brain activity and a more dynamic response to being excluded.
There are various hypotheses for explanations to the spike of brain response in sparser networks, ranging from sparse networks requiring more day-to-day dynamic mental function, or higher confidence in more closely tied networks.
I found this study particularly interesting because I would have imagined that people in more connected networks would be more affected by exclusion. In strongly connected networks, ties are stronger, and one would think that exclusion would be more hurtful and result in more questioning or brain function trying to understand why they are being excluded. However, this study suggests that in sparser networks, a person has to think dynamically more often and consider many more points of view when something happens like being excluded from a game.
Source: Ralf Schmälzle, Matthew Brook O’Donnell, Javier O. Garcia, Christopher N. Cascio, Joseph Bayer, Danielle S. Bassett, Jean M. Vettel, Emily B. Falk. Brain connectivity dynamics during social interaction reflect social network structure. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2017; 201616130 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1616130114