Cited by 313Attachment and Relationship DynamicsDeath Anxiety and Social ExclusionNeuroendocrine regulation and behavior

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Social Baseline Theory: the social regulation of risk and effort

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Coan, James A, Sbarra, David A·2015·Current Opinion in Psychology

DOI 10.1016/j.copsyc.2014.12.021PMC PMC4375548

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Abstract

We describe Social Baseline Theory (SBT), a perspective that integrates the study of social relationships with principles of attachment, behavioral ecology, cognitive neuroscience, and perception science. SBT suggests the human brain expects access to social relationships that mitigate risk and diminish the level of effort needed to meet a variety of goals. This is accomplished in part by incorporating relational partners into neural representations of the self. By contrast, decreased access to relational partners increases cognitive and physiological effort. Relationship disruptions entail re-defining the self as independent, which implies greater risk, increased effort, and diminished well being. The ungrafting of the self and other may mediate recovery from relationship loss.

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Authors: Coan, J. A., & Sbarra, D. A.
Affiliations: University of Virginia (US)
University of Arizona (US)
Corresponding author: Coan, James A
ORCID: Coan, James A
Sbarra, David A
Venue: Current Opinion in Psychology
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2015-02
Volume: 1
Pages: 87-91
ISSN: 2352-250X (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2014.12.021
PMC: PMC4375548
OpenAlex: W2022429540
Cited by: 313
References: 52
Citations by year: 2026: 43 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 8
FWCI: 2.96
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Current Opinion in Psychology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders: National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH080725)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
Keywords: interpersonal relationships, risk, effort, attachment, behavioral ecology, cognitive neuroscience, perception, self-representation, relationship disruption, self and other, relationship loss, recovery

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Social Baseline Theory: the social regulation of risk and effort

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