Studies that show we are social creatures and have been for a very long time continue to appear. This interview in Scientific American refers to indications that emotional pain is as real as physical pain. I think of these kinds of studies whenever I see the ragings of those who I have to think of as radical individualists. As Dr. Lieberman says in his book:

In the West, we like to think of ourselves as relatively immune to sway of those around us while we each pursue our personal destiny. But I think this is a story we like to tell ourselves rather than what really happens.