According to a growing body of research, our brains have a chemical, physical, and psychological need for unity. And this, I believe, explains a lot.

It helps explain why certain activities — even without physical pleasure — feel deeply satisfying. In her book, Good Chemistry, Dr. Julie Holland writes:

Because we’re pharmacologically hardwired to be selfless, not selfish, the same areas of the brain that light up when we enjoy eating food also fire when we’re being altruistic.

The bottom line is this: giving feels good. It’s supposed to. It’s good for our bodies, feeds our soul, and helps us to get out of our head and into someone else’s experience for a while. With our sense of separateness on the back burner, a feeling of connection fills the void. If we feel like we belong, the brain is happy, and the body follows suit.

In other words, doing a mitzvah doesn’t just feel good because it’s the right thing to do. It feels good because it reaffirms our built-in sense of connection—to others, to something higher, to the universe itself. It counters the pain of disconnection, dislocation, and loneliness.

Deep down, our brains are wired to feel connected. And when we don’t, the dissonance is real and often painful. So we seek connection. Real or not. Healthy or not.

And that search explains a tremendous amount of human behavior: the appeal of drugs, alcohol, unhealthy relationships, obsessive fandom, even excessive social media use—all attempts to feel part of something. To not feel alone. To feel unified.

We know this already, even if we’ve used different words to describe it. Countless Torah sources describe the soul’s yearning for G‑d as an innate, irrepressible longing.

“For this is the nature of the Divine soul — to yearn and desire to be united with its root and source, the Light of the Infinite One, with an intense craving, like a flame longing to return to its source,”1 writes Rabbi Schneur Zalman, founder of Chabad.

What neuroscience identifies as a “need for unity,” our tradition has described for millennia: the soul’s need for G‑d.

The scientists see part of the picture—the brain’s drive to connect—but often miss the deeper truth: the brain needs unity because the soul needs G‑d. The brain’s longing is just a shadow of the soul’s deeper yearning.

Still, for me, this emphasis on the brain’s need for unity is useful. I’ll be honest: I don’t always feel like I’m “yearning for G‑d.” I know that deep down my soul is yearning, but it doesn’t always feel that way.

What I do feel, however, are the moments of connection. When I take a walk in nature, have a deep talk with someone I love, or help someone in need, I feel aligned. I feel whole. I feel good. And now I know: that feeling isn’t random. It’s not trivial. It’s a glimpse, however faint, of my soul connecting to G‑d.

I may find it easier to relate to my need for unity than to my need for G‑d. But that’s okay—as long as I remember that unity is not the end, but the path. Recognizing that drive is a way to get there.

In fact, this new research on the brain’s wiring can even build emunah. Why? Because the secular explanation for why we’re wired for unity feels increasingly inadequate.

Researchers claim that the brain developed this reward system as an evolutionary advantage. Since we’re safer in groups, our ancestors who felt good when connecting with others were more likely to survive and reproduce. So now, we’re hardwired to seek connection.

Honestly, that feels like a weak explanation, the same way some scientists explain why animals sacrifice themselves to protect their young. They say the animal is “hardwired” to preserve the species. But … why would an animal care about the future of the species? Where did that drive come from? Why would it override personal survival?

The explanations don’t add up — unless you look a little deeper.

When we acknowledge the spiritual truth underneath the physical patterns, everything starts to make more sense.

The universe has fundamental unity because it was created by G‑d, Who is One. Disunity feels wrong because, at the core of existence, everything is meant to be united. The dissonance we feel when we’re disconnected is not a flaw in the system—it’s a signal from our soul.

So whether it’s an animal protecting its offspring, a human seeking community, or a mitzvah done from love, all reflect the same truth: we were made to connect—and not just to each other, but to the One Who made us.

Call it the brain’s need for unity or the soul’s longing for G‑d — the takeaway is the same: We have a natural drive to be unified with something bigger than ourselves. And that drive, at its root, is a divine gift.