Tracy: There was a study out of the University of Wisconsin some years ago, where volunteers were told they were about to receive electrical shocks. Tracy: The anxiety-related circuits in the brain are activated when we're trying to cope with this challenge and monitor threats. And folks who were alone,. that circuit in the brain was working very hard. It was kind of lighting up when you looked at the the FMRI readout. But then you had the people who were holding the hand of a stranger...it was actually less active, a little more efficient.