Adaptation and Well-Being : Social Allostasis

Exploring the behavioral neuroscience of social attachment, this book considers the evolution of social contact and its biological importance for human well-being. Through chapters on evolutionary aspects, chemical messengers and social neuroendocrinology, it demonstrates the complex physiological and endocrine systems that underlie behavioral adaptations.

Recently, an interest in our understanding of well-being within the context of competition and cooperation has re-emerged within the biological and neural sciences. Given that we are social animals, our well-being is tightly linked to interactions with others. Pro-social behavior establishes and sustains human contact, contributing to well-being. Adaptation and Well-Being is about the evolution and biological importance of social contact. Social sensibility is an essential feature of our central nervous systems, and what have evolved are elaborate behavioral ways in which to sustain and maintain the physiological and endocrine systems that underlie behavioral adaptations. Writing for his fellow academics, and with chapters on evolutionary aspects, chemical messengers and social neuroendocrinology among others, Jay Schulkin explores this fascinating field of behavioral neuroscience.