Psychologist Brock Bastian put strangers through two tests: some dunked their hands in lukewarm water, others in ice-cold water. The ones who suffered the cold reported feeling more connected and trusting with each other. Shared pain dissolves the boundary between self and group.
What's the best way to feel closer to a group of complete strangers? Do you have an idea? Well, psychologist Brock Bastian ran an experiment. He brought strangers into a lab and split them into 2 groups. Members of one group were instructed to reach into a container of lukewarm water. The other group, a container of bone-chilling cold water. Can you guess which strangers felt closer? If you guessed the lukewarm water group, you're wrong. It was the members of the ice water group who reported feeling significantly more connected. They cooperated more. They trusted each other more. Pain had bonded them. Shared suffering can create what researchers call identity fusion. It dissolves the boundary between me and us. In other words, the hard, uncomfortable moments, those might be the ones that bring us closest together. For more insights about the science of the mind, tune into Hidden Brain on Apple, Spotify, or hiddenbrain.org.
