throughout history, we have enhanced our chances of survival

by collectively sharing things such as resources, knowledge, and workloads

alternatively, isolation or rejection from a group

could have decreased our survival chances

as a result, our brain is highly aware of our ongoing social status

and possible threats or rewards to this

today, the workplace is one of the biggest social environments the brain experiences

our brain is constantly providing us with feedback on our social interactions with others

we need to know when things are working in our favour

or when our social situation may be under threat

Our brain interprets our social interactions

through the use of neural pathways and chemical messages

commonly used for pleasure and pain

for example, when our brain recognises potential rewards from a social interaction

it releases chemicals along the same neural pathways associated with pleasure

making us feel physically good

when we feel threatened, rejected, or taken advantage of

the same pathways that tell us we are in physical pain are activated

our brains don't always operate in isolation to one another

we often trigger a threat or reward response to the people around us

we may not even realise we are doing this

so the next time you interact with someone at work

consider what social messages you may be sending

and the impact you may be having on their brain