By Dr Fiona Kerr Founder/CEO The Neurotech Institute

We can change our brain. We are electrochemical beings, with specific chemicals that, when stimulated, combine with electrical impulses in our brain to either rewire the connections we have (known as neuroplasticity) or to grow new neuronal tissue (known as neurogenesis).

Interaction with others is arguably the most powerful element of neurogenesis. It is what makes dancing the best exercise. Learning new things builds more brain when people do it together. Direct interaction releases a cascade of chemicals such as oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. A number of interactions create brain-to-brain coupling (b2bc). These include face-to-face interaction and direct eye gaze (with concentrated oxytocin receptors in and around our eyes), which physically alter how our socio-emotional networks fire and our ability to read intent, along with hundreds of micro-behaviours elicited by interaction (not registered over screens). Empathic response increases, changing how we make complex decisions and judge problems towards long-term, values-based outcomes.

When working together on a positive idea or experience, the parasympathetic nervous system fires, releasing BDNF and other chemicals from the immune system, which not only makes us happy and well, but also increases neuroplasticity and neurogenesis – that feeling of being in the zone!

When we share space, we give off and receive up to 2000 chemicals and volatiles, allowing us to read a room or a mood, and change it. We pick up and give off a huge amount of information, synch hormone cycles over time, match cortisol levels, and register unconsciously that we are part of a group. The human voice also creates b2bc through picking up the 3-8 hertz wave of another’s voice when they speak, syncing various waves and emotional states, and making us feel connected. Touch, especially warm touch, sets off a cascade of chemicals through the c-fibres in our skin which run through affective-emotional pathways, increasing dopamine and serotonin, altering pain reception and empathy and boosting the immune system, making someone feel safe through synchronising the brain’s amygdala and releasing chemicals that lower stress.

We are truly remarkable.

 

More from Dr Kerr:

Wired for wonder: grow your own brains 

Low Tox Life Podcast Show #3 The Brain

Low Tox Life Podcast Show #23: Train your brain to not procrastinate!

Share

Other articles

  • Overview of changes to the NDIS laws

    The new law: a quick summary On 19 August 2026, Parliament passed the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026. It changes who can access the NDIS, how plans are managed, how funding can be used, how providers deliver supports, how the NDIA deals with fraud and how prices [...]

  • CARERS | Why is asking for help so hard?

    By Gather My Crew for the Young Onset Parkinson’s Exchange Someone says, “Let me know if I can do anything.” You smile and thank them. You know they mean it. You might even need the help. But you find yourself saying, “I’m fine.” If you’re living with young onset Parkinson’s, or supporting someone who is, [...]

  • CARE TEAM | Support groups for carers & people with YOPD

    Whether you are newly diagnosed, well-versed in Parkinson's, or a care partner, finding the right support group can make a significant difference. Social activities provide a valuable network, combat feelings of loneliness, and connect you to new information. Being diagnosed as young onset, poses its own challenges in finding people a group of people that look like you.