Brief social encounters with unfamiliar individuals transiently shift brain state to strengthen consolidation and linking of subsequent emotional or meaningful memories.
Dehumanization: The Catastrophic Loss of Our Shared Humanity
Dehumanization arises from failing to recognize others' intrinsic humanity, erodes empathy, enables prejudice and violence, and can be reduced by caregiving, contact, and shared identities.
Feeling unseen at work undermines meaning and motivation, activating neural pain pathways and increasing disengagement; leaders must authentically notice, value, and challenge employees.
Human face-to-face relationships are biologically protective, reduce stress and mortality risk, and cannot be replaced by AI; mindful technology use preserves authentic bonds.