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It Takes a Lot of Brain ‘Real Estate’ To Disagree
Researchers have created a way to look into the brains of two people simultaneously while they’re talking.
What they found will not surprise anyone who has found themselves arguing about politics or social issues.
When two people agree, their brains exhibit a calm synchronicity of activity focused on sensory areas of the brain. When they disagree, however, many other regions of the brain involved in higher cognitive functions become mobilized as each individual combats the other’s argument, the researchers report.
January 13, 2021
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(Illustration by Michael S. Helfenbein)
Yale researchers have devised a way to peer into the brains of two people simultaneously while are engaged in discussion. What they found will not surprise anyone who has found themselves arguing about politics or social issues.
When two people agree, their brains exhibit a calm synchronicity of activity focused on sensory areas of the brain. When they disagree, however, many other regions of the brain involved in higher cognitive functions become mobilized as each individual combats the other’s argument, a Yale-led research team reports Jan. 13 in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
In a new study Yale scientists looked into the brains of individuals engaged in conversation. What they observed varied significantly depending on whether or not the participants were in agreement.