Relationships: Proximal and Distal

Abstract

Substantial progress has been made in the study of relationships and even in shared cognitive processes among groups. There are many potential variations of this theme worthy of discussion that remain largely outside of scientific inquiry, currently. One logical extension of laboratory efforts to understand emotion is the aspect of being held close to someone in a relationship or being identified as more distant in the relationship. Whether or not one or the other cerebral hemisphere is specialized for the depth of a relationship remains unclear. The left brain may be specialized for those we hold near and dear emotionally, with the presentation of a somewhat universal positive attribution bias to these individuals. Being emotionally close to another person may promote expectations of forgiveness for incidental or actual transgressions, at least up until the moment that the cerebral processing advantage shifts to negative valences and the processing bias of the right hemisphere. At the simplest level, the processing bias of the right brain does not appear to hold others close. The attribution bias here appears to be negative or distanced from these individuals outside the group, unless it is a more deeply positive relationship that may need to be protected or defended under assault. But, the interdependence of these neural systems is evident as one influences the other. A simple example might hold as evidence that the visual spatial analysis and perception of physical size and strength of a threatening individual are diminished in the presence of a friend.