photo by Smallbrainpan

Recent research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides neurological evidence of what we all know: we are fascinating, especially to ourselves. And it feels good to share. According to multiple studies, humans devote 30-40% of speech to informing others about themselves. Recent surveys of Internet use show that more than 80% of social media posts are accounts of individuals’ recent experiences.

Previous research examined how self-disclosure served several purposes, such as expressing one’s feelings about his/her audience, creating expectations of reciprocal revelations,

experiencing benefits to personal well-being, increased liking between communicators, enhancing social bonds and alliances, gaining feedback from others to aid self-knowledge, and acquiring the knowledge others so that we don’t have to “reinvent the wheel.” These reasons are all part of our social nature.

In light of this new research, we can now understand that when we talk about ourselves, not only are we hoping to enhance our status, improve relationships, extend personal influence, and leverage knowledge – we also experience an intrinsic reward when we disclose our thoughts and feelings, just as we do when we receive tangible rewards, such as food or money. There is also evidence that we experience elevated levels of oxytocin, sometimes called the “love hormone,” even when our self-disclosure is some tweet about, say, our lawn mower.

So I get the value of that sharing, even if it is occasionally inane. It makes us feel good.