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The Why Factor: Sharing

Sharing

13/12/2014

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, Sharing

Why do we share? And, what happens inside our brains when we do?

Why do we share? What exactly is it? And, what happens inside our brains when we do?

Why do we share? What makes it different from giving? And what does it have to do with strategy and impulse control? Mike talks to the scientist Nikolaus Steinbeis who found out which region of the brain is active when we share and why small children have problems with that. He visits the Redfield Community in the north of London, where over 20 people share a household and he discusses with a young 'couchsurfer' and a software specialist from the Linux foundation about the pros and cons of sharing.

(Photo: Two teenage girls lying on the grass sharing headphones. Credit: Shutterstock)

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