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(2013) Handbook of neurosociology, Dordrecht, Springer.
Attachment, interaction, and synchronization
how innate mechanisms in attachment give rise to emergent structure in networks and communities
Thomas S Smith
pp. 243-254
Discoveries in social neuroscience over the last 30 years have led to startling new knowledge about innate mechanisms associated with the bonding and attachment of newborns and their mothers. This chapter presents a formal theoretical model of the part played in attachment by endogenous opioid peptides and related hormonal and neurotransmitter systems. In these models we see the coupling of two neurosocial oscillators. One is stimulated by attachment and induces activity in the opioid system, and the other is stimulated by separation and raises arousal levels. Central to the optimal functioning of these controls is interpersonal synchronization. We show that synchronization plays a part beyond dyads in generating social networks and in augmenting the integration of whole communities, and conclude by arguing that attachment and interaction function as extensions of the human immune system.
Publication details
DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-4473-8_17
Full citation:
Smith, T.S. (2013)., Attachment, interaction, and synchronization: how innate mechanisms in attachment give rise to emergent structure in networks and communities, in D. D. Franks & J. H. Turner (eds.), Handbook of neurosociology, Dordrecht, Springer, pp. 243-254.
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