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Neural basis of prosocial behavior.
1Department of Neurobiology and Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Trends in Neurosciences
|July 19, 2022
Summary
Prosocial behaviors, like helping and sharing, are vital for social bonds in mammals. This review explores the evolutionary drives and neural underpinnings of these beneficial actions across species.
Area of Science:
- Comparative Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Prosocial behaviors are fundamental to social cohesion in humans and other mammals.
- These behaviors include comforting, helping, and resource sharing, supporting others' needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a cross-species overview of prosocial behaviors.
- To examine the behavioral, proximate, and ultimate drivers of prosociality.
- To elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying prosocial interactions.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent studies in humans and rodents.
- Cross-species comparative analysis of behavioral manifestations.
- Synthesis of findings on neural mechanisms and evolutionary drives.
Main Results:
- Prosocial behaviors manifest diversely across mammalian species.
- Neural mechanisms for empathy, decision-making, and action in prosocial contexts are being uncovered.
- Evolutionary pressures and proximate factors contribute to prosociality.
Conclusions:
- Understanding prosocial behaviors requires integrating behavioral, neural, and evolutionary perspectives.
- Research in humans and rodents offers insights into shared and distinct mechanisms of prosociality.
- Further investigation into the neural basis of prosociality is crucial for understanding social behavior.
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