Is social attachment an addictive disorder?
Abstract
There is a considerable literature on the neurobiology of reward, based largely on studies of addiction or substance abuse. This review considers the possibility that the neural circuits that mediate reward evolved for ethologically relevant cues, such as social attachment. Specifically, mesocorticolimbic dopamine appears important for maternal behavior in rats and pair bonding in monogamous voles. It is not yet clear that dopamine in this pathway mediates the hedonic properties of social bond formation or whether dopamine's role is more relevant to developing associative networks or assigning salience to social stimuli. The neuropeptides oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) appear to be critical for linking social signals to the mesocorticolimbic circuit.
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These parallels provide strong evidence for a link between attachment and addiction.
“These parallels provide strong evidence for a link between attachment and addiction (MacLean 1990; Nelson and Panksepp 1998; Insel 2003; Fisher 2004; Reynaud et al 2010).”
From The behavioral, anatomical and pharmacological parallels between social attachment, love and addiction (2012) · cites this paper as Insel 2003
OT can positively influence prosocial behavior by linking approach behavior to the capacity to experience reward from social interaction.
“it has been suggested that OT can positively influence prosocial behavior by linking approach behavior to the capacity to experience reward from social interaction (Insel, 2003;Campbell, 2008).”
From The effect of oxytocin on cooperation in a prisoner's dilemma depends on the social context and a person's social value orientation (2014) · cites this paper as Insel, 2003
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- Authors
- Insel, T. R.
- Affiliations
- Emory University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Insel, Thomas R
- ORCID
- Insel, Thomas R
- Venue
- Physiology & Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-08
- Volume
- 79
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 351-357
- ISSN
- 0031-9384 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2067577447
- Cited by
- 430
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 31
- FWCI
- 2.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Physiology & Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Keywords
- social attachment, addiction, maternal behavior, pair bonding, oxytocin, vasopressin, social bonding
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain, Dopamine, Female, Humans, Male, Neural Pathways, Object Attachment, Pair Bond, Parent-Child Relations, Social Behavior, Behavior, Addictive, Rats
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