How friendship affects your brain - Shannon Odell

Prevodilac: Mina Kokeza Lektor: Milenka Okuka

Friendships can hold an exceptional place in our life stories.

Prijateljstva zauzimaju posebno mesto u našim životnim pričama.

What is it about these connections that make them so unique?

Šta čini ove odnose tako jedinstvenim?

Before we dive into the science, let’s first observe one in action.

Pre nego što se upustimo u nauku, pogledajmo jedan primer uživo.

If I could somehow design a best friend, you know,

Kada bih mogla da nekako dizajniram najboljeg prijatelja

put together all the ideal qualities of my perfect match,

i saberem sve najlepše vrline u svom savršenom pandanu,

that person would pale in comparison to Priya.

ta osoba ne bi prišla ni blizu Priji.

She can turn any situation into a good time—

Donosi zabavu sa sobom gde god da smo -

chemistry lab, band practice.

u hemijskoj laboratoriji ili na svirci.

What I’m trying to say is I never laugh harder than when I’m with Priya.

Hoću reći da se nikad ne smejem toliko kao kad sam s Prijom.

And she’s always there for me.

Uvek je tu za mene.

Like last year after I got dumped by Te— you know what?

Recimo, prošle godine posle raskida sa Te- znate šta?

I don’t even want to mention their name.

Neću ni da im spominjem ime.

It felt like my whole world was crashing down.

Osećala sam se kao da mi se ceo svet ruši.

But as soon as I told Priya, boom, she was at my door.

Ipak, čim sam to ispričala Priji za tren mi se stvorila pred vratima.

I was a wreck, but she sat there with me and listened.

Bila sam očajna, ali je ostala uz mene i saslušala me.

We’re always on the same page;

Uvek slično razmišljamo,

it’s as if we can read each other’s minds!

kao da čitamo jedna drugoj misli!

And we can talk for hours— about anything.

Možemo satima da pričamo - o svemu.

I know my mom would say she has the phone bills to prove it.

Moja mama bi rekla da ima telefonske račune da to i dokaže.

If it seems like friendships formed in adolescence are particularly special,

Ukoliko prijateljstva formirana u adolescenciji izgledaju dragoceno,

that’s because they are.

to je zato što jesu.

Early childhood, adolescent, and adult friendships

U ranom detinjstvu, adolescenciji i punoletstvu

all manifest a little differently

prijateljstva se drugačije manifestuju

in part because the brain works in different ways at those stages of life.

delom zato što mozak drugačije funkcioniše u svakom od ovih perioda.

Adolescence is a unique time when peer relationships take focus,

Adolescencija je posebno doba kada vršnjački odnosi zauzmu primat

and thanks to the developing brain,

i, zahvaljujući mozgu u razvoju,

there are changes in the way you value, understand, and connect to friends.

menja se način na koji vrednujete, razumete i vezujete se za prijatelje.

Teenage friends can seem attached at the hip.

Pubertetlije izgledaju nerazdvojno.

Scientists describe adolescence as a social reorientation

Naučnici opisuju adolescenciju kao vreme socijalne preorijentacije

as teenagers begin to spend as much or more time

jer tinejdžeri počnu da provode jednako ili više vremena

with their friends than with their parents.

sa drugarima nego sa roditeljima.

This drive to hang with pals may be due to changes in the brain’s reward center,

Ovaj nagon ka druženju možda potiče iz promena u moždanom centru za nagrade

known as the ventral striatum.

zvanom ventralni strijatum.

Its activation makes hanging out with others enjoyable

Njegov rad čini druženje prijatnim

and motivates you to spend more time with them.

i motiviše nas da se više posvetimo društvu.

Neuroimaging studies show that this region is highly reactive

Neuroslikovne studije pokazuju da je ovaj region vrlo reaktivan

during your teenage years,

tokom puberteta,

which may explain why adolescents seem to place a higher value

što možda objašnjava zašto tinejdžeri više cene

on social interactions than children or adults.

socijalne interakcije od dece ili odraslih.

Teenage friendships can also feel more intimate

Prijateljstva tokom puberteta se čine intimnijim

than the friendships of your childhood.

od onih u detinjstvu.

This deeper connection is possible thanks to improvements

Ova dublja povezanost je moguća zahvaljujući razvoju

in what scientists call Theory of Mind.

“teorije uma”, kako je naučnici zovu.

Theory of Mind is the ability to understand others’ emotions,

Teorija uma je sposobnost da razumemo tuđe emocije,

thoughts, motivations, and points of view,

misli, motivacije i poglede

and to realize that they may be different from your own.

i shvatimo da mogu biti različiti od naših.

While it may seem intuitive,

Iako ona izgleda inuitivno,

this ability hinges on the careful coordination of various brain regions,

ova sposobnost zavisi od delikatne saradnje raznih delova mozga,

sometimes referred to as the social brain.

nekad zvanih “socijalnim mozgom”.

Babies begin to develop Theory of Mind around 18 months or so.

Bebe kreću da razvijaju teoriju uma sa oko 18 meseci.

Before that, it’s thought they believe that everyone perceives and knows

Pre toga se smatra da veruju kako svi percipiraju i znaju

exactly what they know.

isto što i one.

It was once considered to be fully developed by age five,

Nekad se za nju mislilo da se potpuno razvije do pete godine,

but scientists now know that Theory of Mind

ali naučnici sada znaju da teorija uma

continues to improve and mature well into your teenage years and beyond.

nastavlja da napreduje i sazreva do duboko u adolescenciju i dalje.

Likewise, regions within the social brain show increased connectivity

Analogno tome, regioni socijalnog mozga pokazuju veću povezanost

during adolescence compared with childhood.

u adolescenciji nego u detinjstvu.

As a result, teens can better understand their friend’s perspectives,

Samim time, tinejdžeri bolje uviđaju perpsektive svojih prijatelja,

allowing for deeper connections to flourish.

omogućavajući procvat dubljih odnosa.

In the closest friendships,

U najbližim prijateljstvima

it can almost feel as if you’re metaphysically connected—

čini se kao da ste metafizički svezani -

two bodies and minds, perfectly in sync.

dva tela i uma u savršenom skladu.

And there is science to this!

Ima nauke i iza ovoga!

Your ability to connect with others somewhat depends

Vaša sposobnost da se povežete sa drugima delom zavisi

on the coordination of actions, emotions, physiology, and thoughts.

od usklađenosti radnji, emocija, fiziologije i misli.

This is what psychologists call interpersonal synchrony.

Ovo psiholozi nazivaju interpersonalnom sinhronizacijom.

You first show signs of the ability to sync with others as infants—

Prve znake sposobnosti sinhronizacije pokazujete još kao bebe -

synchronizing movements and babbling with your parents.

usklađujući pokrete i brbljajući sa roditeljima.

As you get older and spend more time outside the home,

Kako sazrevate i sve manje ostajete kod kuće,

you increasingly show this synchrony with your peers.

to više sinhronizacije imate sa svojim vršnjacima.

For example, imagine walking down the street with a friend.

Na primer, zamislite da hodate ulicom sa prijateljem.

Often without consciously thinking,

Često bez svesnog napora

you stroll at the same pace and follow the same path.

hodate istim ritmom i istom stazom.

You and your best friend may not be only on the same page,

Vi i vaši najbolji prijatelji možda niste samo društveno ukorak,

but also scientifically, in step.

već i naučno.