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Collective happiness is the result of an “explosion” of neurotransmitters in the brain

In this Thursday’s edition (20) of the Medical Correspondent, from Novo Dia, neurosurgeon Fernando Gomes explained about the role of collective happiness in the brain – when a close person conquers something of great desire and ends up generating the feeling of joy in others .

This week, a video of the young Bruno Henrique Sousa Silva, 24, went viral on the internet when he appeared with his family celebrating his approval in the exam of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB). The student from São Paulo had to drop out of college in 2019 due to financial problems, returning two years later. He had failed his first attempt at the exam in 2021.

In an interview with CNN, Bruno confessed his surprise with the positive result and revealed that the discovery came out of plans. “A friend was supposed to look at the list and call me if I was approved. I was watching a live from a teacher about two hours before the result came out and he recommended filming the reaction to remember ten years from now. When it was time to look, a thousand Brunos appeared, but I didn’t. The fourth time, it caught. Never in my life have I felt such a satisfying feeling”, revealed the new lawyer, who was with his mother, grandmother and brothers.

According to Fernando Gomes, this type of moment is characterized in the brain by an “explosion” of neurotransmitters and circuits that cause well-being. In collective cases, even for more distant people, the sensation is the result of empathy, which stimulates the ventromedial region of the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for choices and behaviors in human beings.

“It is very beautiful, because we project ourselves in this situation. Who has never been through a difficult or challenging situation? A test, a test, the attempt to get a job… especially when you have all the support of friends and family cheering”, he said.

The neurosurgeon explained the need for an “exchange” in the moment of happiness, sharing and “completing” the feeling of joy between more than one person. “This welcoming has a very big function, which is to feel belonging to a group, as if it were a shoal of fish.”

“Here, we had a favorable outcome. Fortunately, he got what he wanted and passed. But what if it was the other way around? The family was there to support him, give him courage, go through a disappointing situation and move on. When people are together, everything is easier to overcome,” he said.

Gomes also defined resilience as an important aspect of behavior, being the ability of human beings to return to the “baseline” state both after moments of great happiness and great sadness. “Here, in this case, it was something very happy. The message that remains is that we are facing a united family that fights together for its goals”, he concluded.

Reference: CNN Brasil

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