We’ve often noted at Friendship Dialogues the value of best friends. For those of us fortunate enough to have a bestie, we know those dear friends bring joy and comfort to us throughout our lives. They share in our happiness and offer solace when life is troubled.

But now, new research has discovered something special about friends. According to an article in the New York Times, “Scientists have found that the brains of close friends respond in remarkably similar ways as they view a series of short videos: the same ebbs and swells of attention and distraction, the same peaking of reward processing here, boredom alerts there.” In fact, researchers could predict “the strength of two people’s social bond based on their brain scans alone.”

I wasn’t surprised to read this information since it is clear to me how closely aligned good friends are. So, if our emotions are in sync, and if our views of the world match up, then why not our brains?