This Is Your Brain on Twitter

I just read the most fascinating blog post when I was looking for info on our brain chemistry when we're interacting with social networking.

There's this professor, Dr. Paul Zak (aka Dr. Love) who has pioneered a new field called neuroeconomics, the study of our brain chemistry on consumerism.

In his almost decade long study, he has found that when we are using social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc), our brains are flooded with oxytocin. Oxytocin is nicknamed the "cuddle chemical", because it's the biological chemical long known to create the strong bond between mothers and their babies. Now Dr. Zak says that it also creates empathy, generosity and trust.

The interesting thing is that oxytocin (I keep wanting to call it oxycontin!) is released in our brains when we're engaged in social networking.

"Your brain interpreted tweeting as if you were directly interacting with people you cared about or had empathy for," Zak says. "E-connection is processed in the brain like an in-person connection."

I think there's a warning that goes with this information. It turns out that oxytocin is also somewhat addicting. In a study where 200 college students were asked to give up social networking for a day, some of them had withdrawal symptoms. We need to ask ourselves, "Am I using social networking to actually build relationships or because my brain is hooked to a love-like rush?"

Don't get me wrong. I think either answer can be true, but I want to make sure that I'm developing real love relationships rather than love-like relationships. I've only got a limited amount of time to invest, and I'm doing some self-examination to make sure I'm investing in the right places.