ABSTRACT
Psychologists have long understood that research on the biological systems of social behavior is critical to our understanding of human social functioning. In his 1967 book titled The Biological Basis of Personality, for example, Hans Eysenck reviewed the extant research on personality and physiology and called for continued research on the topic. Despite the importance that Eysenck placed on biology, biological processes were largely ignored by social and personality psychologists in the following several decades. In recent years, however, psy-chologists have begun to examine links between biology, personality, and social behavior. As a result, new discoveries about personality and social processes are emerging that could not have emerged with traditional social psychology methods alone. Along with advances in molecular genetics, social neuroscience, and behavioral endocrinology, the potential contributions of biological research to social psychology are greater than they’ve ever been.
