Friends ‘better than morphine’ – Larger social networks release more pain-killing endorphin, University of Oxford reports People with more friends have higher pain tolerance, Oxford University researchers have found. Katerina Johnson, a doctoral student in the University’s Department of Experimental Psychology, was studying whether differences in our neurobiology may help explain why some of us have larger social networks than others. She said: ‘I was particularly interested in a chemical in the brain called endorphin. Endorphins are part of our pain and pleasure circuitry — they’re our body’s natural painkillers and also give us feelings of pleasure. Previous studies have suggested … Continue reading Friendships Better Than Morphine