Cozumel, Mexico, September 2016: the last race of the world triathlon series. Jonny Brownlee is in the lead, but in the final kilometre of the 10 km run the heat and exhaustion catch up with him: he weaves across the course and looks on the verge of collapse. His brother Alistair, the 2012 London Olympic champion, gives up his own chance of winning and helps him to the finish line. Jonny finishes second, Alistair third; South African Henri Schoeman takes the win.
Can sharing an effort bring people together? In 2014 Brock Bastian, Jolanda Jetten and Laura Ferris, in the journal Psychological Science, had small groups of people perform painful tasks: holding a hand in ice water and doing squats (experiments 1 and 2) or eating a hot chili pepper (experiment 3). Compared with people who had not experienced pain, those who shared it reported more bonding with strangers (experiment 1) and cooperated more in an economic game (experiments 2 and 3). The authors conclude that shared pain may be an important trigger for group formation.
A few cautions. These are laboratory experiments with short tasks among strangers, not a triathlon race between brothers: the Brownlees were already close, and the study does not explain their choices. The link with the story is ours. I read only the abstract.
What can we do with it? These are our own common-sense ideas, not findings of the study. After an effort made together (a house move, a deadline, a group hike uphill), stop for five minutes to recall it out loud and say thank you. And when someone next to you is struggling, ask “What do you need right now?” before deciding what to do.
And you, with whom have you shared an effort that brought you closer? Tell us in the comments: I am curious to read your stories.
Sources
- Bastian, B., Jetten, J., Ferris, L. J. (2014), “Pain as Social Glue: Shared Pain Increases Cooperation”, Psychological Science 25(11), 2079-2085. DOI 10.1177/0956797614545886
- “Alistair Brownlee”, English Wikipedia entry (accessed 6 November 2026)
The contents of this blog are for information only and do not replace the advice of a doctor or psychologist.
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