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Chapter 10 - Social Network and the Brain

from Part III - An Individual’s Cognitive Aging with Others: Key Findings, Issues, and Implications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2023

By
Yoosik Youm  and
Junsol Kim
Edited by
Jeanyung Chey
Jeanyung Chey
Affiliation:
Seoul National University
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Summary

The social brain hypothesis originally developed by evolutionary psychologists has focused on the neural foundation of one of the most unique human characteristics: complex social interactions involving social networks. Although there is evidence to suggest that the capacity of the social brain contributes significantly to the size and position of one’s social network, it is also possible that social networking influences the structure and function of the individual’s brain. By using the unique features of the Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (KSHAP), a dataset equipped with both neuroimaging data and comprehensive tracking of the social networks of the residents of two villages, this chapter explores the possible mechanisms through which brain and social networks interact with each other to form and change the social brain. It examines this relationship with studies utilizing mostly volumetry and resting-state activation of the brain. The studies show how social brain volume and connectivity are related to not only social network size but also to a variety of social network indices. By employing these indices, studies have been able to link the complex social world to human beings’ social brain in recent years. Furthermore, the chapter discusses causality issues in the relationship between the social brain and social networks.

Keywords

social brain hypothesissocial network analysisbrain structurebrain functionmentalizing networkamygdala networksocial network sizesocial network embeddednessbrokerage position
Type
Chapter
Information
Society within the Brain
How Social Networks Interact with Our Brain, Behavior and Health as We Age
 , pp. 217 - 230
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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