Generally, acts of self disclosure were accompanied by spurts of heightened activity in brain regions belonging to the meso-limbic dopamine system, which is associated with the sense of reward and satisfaction from food, money or sex.

WSJ: The Science of Bragging and Boasting

The benefits of self-disclosure vary from case to case.

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"It rings true to me, " said psychologist James Pennebaker at the University of Texas at Austin who studies how people handle secrets and self-disclosure, but was not involved in the project.

WSJ: The Science of Bragging and Boasting