Falk Emily B, Way Baldwin M, Jasinska Agnes J
Department of Communication Studies and Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI, USA.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2012 Jun 12;6:168. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00168. eCollection 2012.
Normative social influences shape nearly every aspect of our lives, yet the biological processes mediating the impact of these social influences on behavior remain incompletely understood. In this Hypothesis, we outline a theoretical framework and an integrative research approach to the study of social influences on the brain and genetic moderators of such effects. First, we review neuroimaging evidence linking social influence and conformity to the brain's reward system. We next review neuroimaging evidence linking social punishment (exclusion) to brain systems involved in the experience of pain, as well as evidence linking exclusion to conformity. We suggest that genetic variants that increase sensitivity to social cues may predispose individuals to be more sensitive to either social rewards or punishments (or potentially both), which in turn increases conformity and susceptibility to normative social influences more broadly. To this end, we review evidence for genetic moderators of neurochemical responses in the brain, and suggest ways in which genes and pharmacology may modulate sensitivity to social influences. We conclude by proposing an integrative imaging genetics approach to the study of brain mediators and genetic modulators of a variety of social influences on human attitudes, beliefs, and actions.
规范性社会影响塑造了我们生活的几乎方方面面，然而，介导这些社会影响对行为作用的生物学过程仍未被完全理解。在本假说中，我们概述了一个理论框架和一种综合研究方法，用于研究社会影响对大脑的作用以及此类影响的基因调节因素。首先，我们回顾将社会影响和从众行为与大脑奖赏系统联系起来的神经影像学证据。接下来，我们回顾将社会惩罚（排斥）与涉及疼痛体验的脑系统联系起来的神经影像学证据，以及将排斥与从众行为联系起来的证据。我们认为，增加对社会线索敏感性的基因变异可能使个体更容易对社会奖赏或惩罚（或可能两者）更敏感，这进而更广泛地增加了从众行为以及对规范性社会影响的易感性。为此，我们回顾大脑中神经化学反应的基因调节因素的证据，并提出基因和药理学可能调节对社会影响敏感性的方式。我们通过提出一种综合成像遗传学方法来研究大脑中介因素以及各种社会影响对人类态度、信念和行为的基因调节因素来得出结论。
