Studying the neural basis of
social & affective processes

The Social & Affective Neuroscience Society (SANS) is committed to research investigating the neural basis of social and affective processes. The Society was founded in 2008 and now comprises over 400 members. One of the main ways that SANS promotes social and affective neuroscience is by holding an annual meeting. The 2020 meeting was cancelled due to COVID, and a virtual conference took place in April 2021.

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What is Social and Affective Neuroscience?

Social and affective neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field of research that seeks to understand phenomena such as group dynamics, interpersonal interactions, social communication, social cognition cooperation, and aggression in terms of interactions among three levels of analysis:

The social level, which pertains to the intrapersonal (cognitive), interpersonal, and inter-group factors that influence social behavior and experience

The affective level, which pertains to the emotional and motivational mechanisms that give rise to social phenomena

The neural level, which pertains to neural and hormonal mechanisms that give rise to social and affective processes

Social and affective neuroscience researchers conduct empirical studies, test hypotheses, and construct theories that consider all three levels of analysis. Research in the field also considers the development of neural processes that support social and affective processes; similarities and differences in social and affective phenomena across species; neurocomputational models that account for observed social and affective phenomena; and clinical and applied implications for typical and atypical social and affective outcomes.

Membership

Join SANS and enjoy many member benefits including reduced conference rates and the ability to vote on society business.

Awards

Learn about our society awards. Information about nominations, guidelines for submission, and a list of all current and previous winners.

Listserv

SANS maintains a listserv for members for job posting, conferences, and other news of interest to the social neuroscience community.