Brain Region Bigger in Popular People

Brain Region Bigger in Popular People

An area of the brain associated with understanding the minds of others is larger in people who have bigger social networks, a new study finds. The study is one of several that have linked specific brain regions to an active social life. In research published last year, scientists found that some brain regions that process social signals, facial expressions and names and faces are larger in people with more Facebook friends. Research has also shown that monkeys that live in larger groups grow bigger brains.

The “social brain hypothesis” holds that the reason primates, including humans, have relatively large brains is that they need the processing space to cope with their complex social networks.