Together is better

We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately ~Benjamin Franklin

Ever wondered what is the difference between that loner and that group of friends in a concert, a mall or in a metro? A likely answer is that most of us have been a loner and in a group, so it doesn’t really warrant much consideration. Nevertheless, we do tend to remember being together than being alone. The brain forms memories based on experiences, the ones with people has a more distinct signature than the one where we are alone.

Another key difference is the invincibility of the group vs the susceptibility of the loner.  In a group, people try to take centre stage, leading to a self-sustaining engagement. This to the outside world appears as a sign of strength of the group i.e. willingness of the people to stand up for each other. This leads to the people surrounding such groups to enjoy the antics of the group while wanting to avoid any kind of disagreement.

A loner’s thoughts wander – depending on the music, the online discussions to the book one is reading, making her mood range from edgy to cheerful. The same set of people fearing and respecting groups have a very different perspective of this situation. On a relative scale, here is someone much weaker than that group. Someone, who is all by herself; possibly for whom no-one would stand up.

It is an animal instinct: hunting a single animal is always easier than hunting a pack. In this globalized world, the hunting has been replaced with assault and mugging; but the approach remains same.

Our instincts also offer a guide to survival, by moving in herds. Globalization further offers a cue, of being with trusted people – there is no dearth of unfortunate events when people end up blindly trusting strangers. Our consumption individuality, however, necessitates us to interact and even trust the unknown. What could then be a solution?

The knowledge of known people around not only offers a moral strength that none can match, but also the ability to contact someone trusted. It is then the thoughts of an individual to manage the situation – an individual’s response to a situation is no more than the reflection of her state of mind. And company of friends and family is undeniably a stress buster.