It’s a widely held belief that humans are motivated by pain and pleasure. It makes intuitive sense that we are driven by desire for things we like, and strive to avoid experiences that hurt us. However, this might not be the full story. In his enlightening book: Social, Why Our Brains are Wired to Connect, Matthew D. Lieberman points to research which proves that the same areas of the brain are activated when we are socially rejected, as are activated when we’re in pain. This suggests that our social world may play a far greater role in our day to day decisions then has been previously believed. Learn More