Close friends, think alike?
"What! You, too? I believed I was the only one. "Have you ever said something like this to someone?
It seems that similarity often helps form friendship. The Greek thinker Aristotle once said, "People regard friendship as a matter of similarity; they say that we love those who are like our-selves." Scientists from University of California said friends have similar behaviors,Scientific Americanreported.
The scientists invited 42 university students to take part in a test. Each student watched the same set of videos, which included a comedy, a discussion and a soccer match. According to their scans, friends who watched the same video reacted in similar ways. Similar parts of their brains lit up while watching the videos, especially parts that are connected with motivation (动机), learning and memory.
"Seeing one's friends have similar behaviors will reinforce (强化) one's own values, opinions, and interests, "lead scientist Carolyn Parkinson told Business Insider. Scientists from the University of Leipzig, Germany, found that friendship is also based on how physically close you are to someone. The scientists did a test with first-year college students the first time they met in class. In this test, students who sat in neighboring seats were more likely to become friends.
| A. Now, there is some science behind this idea. B. If so, you may have ended up becoming friends with this person. C. Friends share a lot of similarities, though there are some differences. D. But brain similarity is not the only thing that can result in friendship. E. However, people who weren't friends had different reactions to the same videos. F. At the same time, scientists scanned their brains and recorded their brain activity. |
