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, but has been rescheduled as a virtual conference in April 2021.
Latest Job Posting
Lab Manager for Laboratory on Social & Affective Neuroscience – Georgetown University
The Laboratory on Social & Affective Neuroscience directed by Abigail Marsh is seeking a new laboratory manager/paid RA to begin in the summer of 2026! The research conducted by our lab is aimed...
Latest News
Lab Manager for Laboratory on Social & Affective Neuroscience – Georgetown University
The Laboratory on Social & Affective Neuroscience directed by Abigail Marsh is seeking a new laboratory manager/paid RA to begin in the summer of 2026! The research conducted by our lab is aimed...
Upcoming Events
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, cooperation, and aggression in terms of interactions among three levels of analysis:
The social level, which pertains to the interpersonal and inter-group factors that influence 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.
Conference
Learn about our next conference to be held virtually in 2021! Information about Key dates, submission guidelines and registration.
Poster Submissions
Please visit our Poster page to find out about new submissions and what to do if you’ve already been accepted as a 2020 presenter.