Ever wonder why you and your best friend seem so in sync?
I mean, it makes sense. We're friends with them because we think so much alike, right?
As it turns out, you and your best friend might actually be inside each other's heads, in more ways than one!
A group of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles and Dartmouth College wanted to know what exactly the brains of friends have in common.
Normally, we think of our friends as a diverse group of individuals, each with our own unique traits and personalities, as well as some overlapping interests.
But we might be giving too little credit to the similarities between ourselves when considering who is really close to us.
A classroom of students were told to name a friend that they have in the class and then had their brain activity recorded as they watched videos on some pretty random subjects.
What they found seems to have redefined how we define our relationships with the people around us.
When getting to know someone, you might asked them a series of questions to get to know them better.
These could be anything from their favorite food to what shows they like to watch on television, you know, normal things.
Well next time you want to evaluate someone for a friendship, you may want to get their opinions on things like baby sloths, the music video for "All I Want," and wet towels wrung out in space.
Participants were shown these images and had their brain activity compared to other students, and those who had the most similar responses were found to be better friends that those who were different.
So is this a good thing? Perhaps, but only if you like having friends who always finish your...
