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Sarah Mikutel's avatar

Great post! Paul Zak, who studies the neuroscience of human connection, says that conmen get their victims to trust them, thereby releasing oxytocin (the bonding chemical). But the conmen themselves don't release oxytocin. According to Zak's research, about 5% of people don't release oxytocin and have attributes similar to psychopaths. Explanations / theories about what drives people pique my Stoic curiosity :)

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Brittany Polat's avatar

Thanks for the research reference! That sounds true. Just one more reason why Seneca says we should trust our friends completely, but we should consider very carefully before making them our friends!

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