Harvard University helps prove the Passion Formula – Talking about yourself can be as pleasurable as sex…

I came across this article last week and thought it was good to share it. The Harvard University Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab did a study on why talking about yourself with friends can be as pleasurable as sex.

Their website says ‘The goal of the Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) Lab is to contribute to the understanding of the neurobiology underlying human interpersonal and emotional processes…work explores the crossroads of several important brain systems involved in motivation, cognition, and emotion.’ Pretty neat stuff.

The Daily Mail article that caught my eye has a great summary of their research here: (yes I used a picture that’s pushing the limit…but come on, given the topic you’d use it too!)

* http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2368451/Why-talking-friends-pleasurable-SEX.html

These researches used brain scanning technology and they found that when people talk about themselves it triggers the same chemical reaction they experience during sex…and my take on this is that sex is memorable…something that people are drawn to and remember. Basically they tied it to the part of your brain that releases dopamine. The researchers conclude that the findings prove talking about yourself may be ‘inherently pleasurable’. I tracked down the PhD who did the research and I encourage you to follow him on twitter @adrianfward

I was amazed at this because it reenforces the 2nd element of the Passion Formula…if you remember the formula is Energy + Focus + DoSay = Passion. (if not watch the TEDx video again here!) The focus part is defined as the effort of focusing on others objectives and what they are doing. You’ll find synergies with them, they’ll remember it and worst case you learn what they are doing. What this article also brings into the element is that you’re also virtually having sex with them 🙂

In the TEDx talk, I outlined this as ‘Dale Carnegie 101’ because he wrote about this in his timeless book ‘How to win friends and influence people’ and I wish I would’ve found this Harvard article sooner because I totally would’ve referenced it in my TEDx talk!

Anyone find other research or have a story how passion has sparked things? Send me an email at kyle@thepassionformula.com or tweet msg me @ryzner

Catch you again in a couple of weeks!

– Kyle