ABSTRACT
In recent years, an accumulating body of empirical evidence has supported the theory that there is overlap in the neurobiological systems that process physical and social pain (Eisenberger & Lieberman, 2004; Eisenberger, Lieberman, & Williams, 2003; Eisenberger, 2012, 2015; MacDonald & Leary, 2005; Panksepp, 1998). That is, social pain-the emotional response to any negative social event that threatens or damages our sense of connection to other people-shares some neural and neurochemical substrates with physical pain. In this chapter we explain the potential adaptive value of a social injury detection system built on top of a physical pain system, review social neuroscience evidence for the physical-social pain overlap, and explore several implications of such an overlap. We also address some recent criticisms of the physical-social pain overlap theory.
