In the era of Facebook and Twitter, it's clear we love talking about ourselves—indeed, the topic makes up 40% of our everyday conversation. Now scientists can explain why: Doing so stimulates the brain the same way sex, food, and cash do. Researchers scanned subjects' brains and found that parts linked to those pleasures lit up when subjects chatted about themselves.
Researchers also offered study subjects up to 4 cents per question to talk about topics other than themselves, like President Obama. Turns out "people were even willing to forgo money in order to talk about themselves," says a researcher. Subjects would part with 17% to 25% of the potential cash for an opportunity for self-disclosure, the Wall Street Journal reports.