Social neuroeconomics: the neural circuitry of social preferences

Combining the methods of neuroscience and economics generates powerful tools for studying the brain processes behind human social interaction. We argue that hedonic interpretations of theories of social preferences provide a useful framework that generates interesting predictions and helps interpret...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in cognitive sciences 2007-10, Vol.11 (10), p.419-427
Main Authors: Fehr, Ernst, Camerer, Colin F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatomical correlates of behavior
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - anatomy & histology
Brain - physiology
Brain Mapping
Economics
Emotions
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Motivation
Nerve Net - physiology
Neurology
Neurosciences
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reward
Social attribution, perception and cognition
Social interactions. Communication. Group processes
Social psychology
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Summary:Combining the methods of neuroscience and economics generates powerful tools for studying the brain processes behind human social interaction. We argue that hedonic interpretations of theories of social preferences provide a useful framework that generates interesting predictions and helps interpret brain activations involved in altruistic, fair and trusting behaviors. These behaviors are consistently associated with activation in reward-related brain areas, such as the striatum, and with prefrontal activity implicated in cognitive control, the processing of emotions, and integration of benefits and costs, consistent with resolution of a conflict between self-interest and other-regarding motives.
ISSN:1364-6613
1879-307X
DOI:10.1016/j.tics.2007.09.002