Humans are social beings that thrive when working in groups. Throughout history, we have enhanced our chances of survival by collectively sharing things such as resources, knowledge and workloads. Alternatively, isolation or rejection from a group could have decreased our survival chances. 

As a result, our brain is highly aware of our ongoing social status and possible threats or rewards to this. Today, the workplace is one of the biggest social environments the brain experiences. Our brain is constantly providing us with feedback on our social interactions with others. We need to know when things are working in our favor or when our social situation may be under threat.  

Our brain interprets our social interactions through the use of neural pathways and chemical messages commonly used for pleasure and pain. For example, when our brain recognizes potential rewards from a social interaction, it releases chemicals along the same neural pathways associated with pleasure, making us feel physically good. When we feel threatened, rejected, or taken advantage of, the same pathways that tell us we are in physical pain are activated. 

Our brains don’t always operate in isolation from one another. We often trigger a threat or reward response to the people around us. We may not even realize we are doing this. So the next time you interact with someone at work, consider what social messages you may be sending, and the impact you may be having on their brain.