1.04 – The Neurobiology of Social Affiliation and Pair Bonding

Positive social interactions, including affiliations and social bonds, dominate the behavioral repertoire of humans and many higher vertebrates. The purpose of this chapter is to examine – in the context of phylogeny, ontogeny, and clinical implications – mechanisms underlying social affiliation and social bonds drawing primarily from research in rodents, sheep, and primates. Various forms of positive social behaviors, including pair bonding and maternal–infant behavior, rely on shared neural and endocrine systems. Discussed here are neuroendocrine processes that support the formation of and coordinate the behavioral and autonomic states associated with social bonding including oxytocin, endogenous opioids, vasopressin, corticotropin-releasing hormone, dopamine, and a variety of steroids.