Introduction to social neuroscience: an evolutionary perspective

Webinar organized by Jean Decety, 2021-2022 Paris IAS Fellow, as part of his "Social Neuroscience" series

Many species have evolved sociality and have independently arrived at similar solutions to the challenges and benefits of living in groups. Evolutionary theory and behavioral ecology, combined with empirical evidence from neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics, offer a conceptual framework to explain the underlying mechanisms of social cognition and behavior.

With the participation of Elise Nowbahari (éthologue) – Université Sorbonne Paris Nord.

Recommended readings:

- Cacioppo, J. T., & Decety, J. (2011). Social neuroscience: challenges and opportunities in the study of complex social behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1224, 162-173.

- DeCasien, A. R., Williams, S. A., & Higham, J. P. (2017). Primate brain size is predicted by diet but not sociality. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 1(5), 1-7.

- Dunbar, R. I. (2009). The social brain hypothesis and its implications for social evolution. Annals of Human Biology, 36(5), 562-572.