Having a conversation with someone from a different social class may require more brain power than speaking to someone with a similar background. Some 39 pairs of strangers had their heads scanned as they held conversations. Those pairs with very different backgrounds, based on their education or family income, displayed greater activity in the part of the brain thought to manage prejudices. The study, published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, involved 12 minutes of conversation for every pair. Professor Hirsch said: 'The message from our research is that people might want to spend more time with people different to them, and engage this part of their brain more.

Source: Daily Mail October 05, 2020 01:09 UTC