Why do we help strangers? And why do we love revenge stories so much?  The same thing that connects those questions connects us all - bonding.

There’s an invisible line between groups of people - it can be a thin dotted line between acquaintances, a steel girder between mother and child, or a series of chain links between millions of people in the same country.

In Part 2 of this series on fate and biology, we identify the brain chemical that plays a central role in how we bond, and explore why certain group behaviors are inevitable. 

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Credits:

Written and produced by Gabriel Berezin.

Original music and sound design by Kirk Schoenherr and additional music by Grant Zubritsky.

Opening and closing music by Monuments - featuring Grant Zubritsky (bass), Robby Sinclair (drums) and Bryan Murray (saxophone), Gabriel Berezin (guitar).

Editorial assistance by Melissa "Monty" Montan.

Logo design by Justin Montan.

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Further reading:

Part 1 of Fate and Biology: The Brain’s Molotov CocktailCounting to Twelve (the ultimate funk on Sesame Street)Won’t You Be My Neighbor (Mr. Rogers Documentary)Philadelphia greases light posts before 2018 Superbowl“Are we the baddies?” Aka, an existential crisis for nazis (mentioned by Inner Voice)The Science of Kindness (and oxytocin)The Neurobiology of friendshipNasal spray and oxytocin increased male cooperationThe above study debunked (in Vox)Book: Sapiens (by Yuval Noah Harari)Book: The Power of Us (by Jan Van Bavel and Dominic Packer)Paying Mentorship Forward (podcast episode for the NeuroLeadership Institute featuring Josh and Kendrick)Panel in the Vatican celebrating the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre

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