Sociophysiology 25 years ago: early perspectives of an emerging discipline now part of social neuroscience

Abstract

Sociophysiology was a term used early in the history of sociology and then again 25 years ago to describe interactions between the "social" and the "biological" worlds. Social scientists had largely viewed biology and the brain as a "black box" that was not an active aspect of their work or theories. A landmark, unpublished conference in 1986 brought together social scientists and biologists dedicated to the idea that bringing sociological conceptualizations and approaches together with those of physiology might create new ways to understand human behavior. The umbrella question for sociophysiology was dual: how do social processes impact the physiology of the organism, and how does that altered physiology affect future social behavior? This paper summarizes that conference with the goal of providing a glimpse into the early history of social neuroscience and to demonstrate the variety of individuals and interests that were present at the emergence of this new field. The late Patricia R. Barchas organized and chaired the conference.

Perspectives on depression—past, present, futurea

“…The interactions of social processes and biology have led to a new subdivision of cognitive science, social neuroscience . Some of the early work in this area, in the mid‐1970s, involved Patricia Barchas at Stanford, who called it “sociophysiology.” Social neuroscience has identified targets relevant for mental illness, for example, from the work of John Cacioppo et al . on loneliness and social isolation, as well as preparation of major texts and participation in the founding of a Society of Social Neuroscience .…”

“…Some of the early work in this area, in the mid-1970s, involved Patricia Barchas at Stanford, who called it "sociophysiology." [167][168][169][170][171] Social neuroscience has identified targets relevant for mental illness, for example, from the work of John Cacioppo et al on loneliness and social isolation, 172 as well as preparation of major texts and participation in the founding of a Society of Social Neuroscience. 173 The field is active at many centers, including the University of Chicago, Rockefeller University, the University of Michigan, and Columbia University, to name a few, and considers a broad spectrum of behaviors and processes, ranging from endocrine changes and brain activity to epigenetic effects in which positive and negative social experiences can affect later behavior and generations.…”