Ever been in love? Reactions to social media could be a lot like that at a biochemical level

A feature story in Fast Company called “Doctor Love” says that during an experiment done on the author of the piece, his oxytocin level spiked to the “equivalent to the hormonal spike experienced by the groom at the wedding” while he spent 10 minutes on Twitter.

Oxytocin is a hormone that our brain uses to connect in an emphatic way with others, the researcher featured in the piece, Neuroeconomist Paul Zak, said to the author of the piece about the experiment that,  “Your brain interpreted tweeting as if you were directly interacting with people you cared about or had empathy for. E-connection is processed in the brain like an in-person connection.” He goes on to say that if the link is proven, it could have far-reaching health benefits as releasing oxytocin helps to reduce stress.

Well, there you have it, a study of one (the author fully mentions this) but hey, now if you get a special feeling regarding your Twitter friends, just remember that it could be the chemicals in your brain telling you that tweeting is good for your health.