Social bonding and a need to belong are core human characteristics, with phylogenetically ancient roots from our distant past. We typically prefer companionship to solitude, even when there are no direct benefits from being in company. Wagner et al1 tested the effects of shared emotional experiences between friends: pairs – one having a neuroimaging scan while the other was separated in a waiting area – were both shown emotionally negative, positive and neutral images, and were told if their companion was simultaneously seeing the same picture or not. Both subjective reports of their emotional response and activation of their brain reward circuitry were greater during shared emotional trials, whether negative or positive, even in the absence of any communication or interaction. Shared experience appears to amplify our emotional responses.