Neuroscience of Social Behavior

Bridging the Mind and Society

Mikhail Votinov

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Neuroscience
• eBook ISBN:
  9780443340819
• Index: Psychology

Social behavior is fundamental to human experience, yet the neural mechanisms that govern how individuals perceive, interpret, and respond to one another are only beginning to be understood. Neuroscience of Social Behavior: Bridging the Mind and Society offers a rigorous and integrative examination of the biological foundations of social interaction, synthesizing current knowledge from neuroscience, psychology, sociology, and anthropology into a coherent framework. The book addresses the full scope of social neuroscience, from the evolutionary origins of the social brain to the challenges posed by digital communication and artificial intelligence. Core topics include social perception, language and communication, empathy, mentalizing, moral cognition, decision-making, and the neural basis of both prosocial and antisocial behavior. The text further explores how hormones and neurochemistry modulate social bonds, how social reward and pain systems shape motivation, and how clinical conditions disrupt social functioning. Computational and translational perspectives are integrated throughout, connecting laboratory findings to real-world implications. By bridging multiple levels of analysis, from neural circuits and neurochemistry to behavior and societal context, this volume equips readers with a comprehensive understanding of how the brain supports, and sometimes undermines, our capacity for social life. - Provides an interdisciplinary treatment of social neuroscience - Integrates evidence from neuroimaging, electrophysiology, pharmacology, genetics, and computational modeling - Examines both typical social cognition and its disruption in clinical populations, including autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and personality disorders - Extends beyond established topics to address contemporary challenges in social neuroscience - Connects basic science to real-world implications in clinical, educational, and policy settings

Table of contents

• Title of Book
• Chapter 1 The social brain
• Chapter 2 The question that wouldn’t die: A history of research on social interactions
• Chapter 3 Neuroscience methods of social interactions
• Chapter 4 Social perception and recognition
• Chapter 5 Language and communication in social cognition
• Chapter 6 Theory of mind and mentalizing
• Chapter 7 Neural basis of empathy, altruistic, and prosocial behavior
• Chapter 8 Social decision-making, morality, and dark personalities
• Chapter 9 Social reward and social pain
• Chapter 10 The neurobiology of social influences: Conformity, persuasion, and group dynamics
• Chapter 11 Roles of hormones in social interactions
• Chapter 12 Disorders of social functioning
• Chapter 13 Computational modeling of social interactions
• Chapter 14 Social interaction in the digital era
• Chapter 15 The future of social neuroscience
• Abbreviations
• Glossary
• Index