Brain activity can predict whether strangers will become friends

image via New Scientist

August 15, 2025, 10:00 AM

• •People with similar neural responses to movie clips are more likely to become friends.
• •Friendships may initially form based on proximity before deeper bonds develop.
• •Similarities in brain activity, particularly in regions related to attention and story comprehension, suggest shared thought processes contribute to friendship formation.

A study found that individuals with similar brain responses to movie clips are more likely to form friendships, indicating that shared neural activity can predict relationships. Researchers scanned the brains of students watching various movie clips and later surveyed them about their friendships. The results revealed that friends exhibited more similar brain activity, particularly in regions associated with processing subjective value and understanding stories. This suggests that friendships may form, in part, due to the alignment of thought processes, rather than simply growing alike over time.

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