So, why does Carol decide to "team up" with the Zosia/hive mind and get into a bit of a love affair with Zosia/it? She's lonely, right? But what does that actually mean, hormonally speaking? Loneliness is all about not getting enough of touch. And touch is something we need as much as we need air. That's also why Hive Mind offers Carol a massage and Zosia starts kissing Carol. The Hive Mind aimed to reduce Carol's stress and discomfort. It was a deliberate move to help her feel relaxed and trusting.
Let's explain that in a more scientific way (I've already made a lot of these same points back in '94, when I was doing my research on philosophy and science of love and happiness and decades later science proved them). Touch has a direct impact on our brains because it is essential for developing our self-awareness. Physical contact in young children triggers important developmental processes and stimulates growth. Touch always triggers a reaction in the body and changes our organism, affecting all aspects of our biology and physiology. EEGs of people who have undergone relaxation massage have shown that brain waves slow down, leading to deep relaxation. The brain released a cocktail of hormones (endorphins) and neurotransmitters that reached other parts of the body through the bloodstream, caused muscle relaxation, a lower heart rate, and calmer breathing. Recognizing and analyzing touch is essential for survival.
There is a special type of nerve fiber that specializes exclusively in pleasant and gentle touch. This type of touch triggers signals that reach the parts of the brain where we process information about positive feelings about ourselves and others. These »C tactile afferents« (C stands for the type of nerve fibers that transmit information more slowly, tactile for being sensitive to touch, and afferents for transmitting information from the periphery to the central nervous system — from the skin through the spinal cord to the brain) play an important role in social interactions and emotional regulation. When we are together and connected, it is easier to deal with everything that surrounds us.
When a friend caresses us when we are sad, it feels good (and that's why Carol touches Zosia's hand after Manousos attempt to unhive them); when someone we are attracted to touches us, the physical, emotional, and social response is even stronger (that's why Zosia kissed Carol).
When we enjoy being touched, we want more of it — the reward system in our brains is responsible for this. Hormones are released — the brain creates its own "drugs" and cocktails of various substances, depending on the type of touch. These include endorphins, or happiness hormones, and oxytocin, or the hormone of tenderness and love, because being close to another person creates a feeling of comfort, relaxation, and calmness, which is important for forming bonds and regulating social behavior. We associate oxytocin with happiness, attachment, closeness, falling in love, love, empathy, bliss, as well as loyalty and security.
We could say that oxytocin is the hormonal glue of human society, and touch is the main factor. That is why touch comforts and calms us much more than words (and that's way Zosia kisses Carol).
When we are in love, we want more touch, because more touch releases endorphins and we are overwhelmed with feelings of pleasure and enjoyment. Couples with high levels of oxytocin live longer because they are less susceptible to stress, have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, and even learn better in their later years. The more we touch, the more connected we feel and the greater our sense of belonging.
It looks like Hive is always on some kind of self-inducing brain drug or cocktail, they're always high on hormones, such endorphins and oxytocin and that's why they don't need to have sex or touch each other (as often as people do).
