The Neural Basis of Socialization and the Formation of Social Groups

 Humans are a social species and our social nature has an immense impact on how we act and what we do. People are largely impacted and influenced by social groups, and there is a large variety in the types of social groups that exist and what their purposes are. From small circles of friends to worldwide clubs and groups, social groups vary in size and structure and have a strong impact on the lives of people that are both part of and not a part of them.

In his paper presentation and talk, Dr. Grzywacz discussed the important role of human social groups and how they can form based on opinions. These opinions can result in polarization which itself can be a feature of the social groups and even be the cause of their formation. Dr. Grzywacz's paper studied aesthetic preference by generating images with differing levels of symmetry and complexity and asking participants to rate the images based on preference. The results of the study generated three groups, two of which were significantly distinct groups based on the data that the researchers called "islands." These groups were representations of similar preference and can be used to show how the formation of social groups is partly dependent on similar preferences. 

This paper demonstrated some of the personal reasoning behind the formation of social groups, but it raises questions about the neural mechanisms and systems that influence the social nature of humans. One recent study may help to answer these questions. A group of researchers at Emory University studied the social nature of spiny mice, a type of mouse that differs from typical lab rats and mice because they live in large social groups in the wild. These mice are not as aggressive as typical lab mice and rats towards humans or each other and they even allow unrelated spiny mice to join their groups. Because of their social nature, these mice are good organisms to study the neural basis of socialization in. When socializing in large groups, the lateral septum region of the brain is active. Communication between the anterior cingulate cortex and the lateral septum was shown to be strong when spiny mice are in larger groups. The researchers deactivated this pathway, causing female mice to no longer prefer small or large groups, while male mice switched their preference from large to small groups. This study provides some insight into the neural pathways that are responsible for socialization and social group preferences in mammals.

Dr. Grzywacz's presentation and experiment illustrated the polarization of aesthetic preferences and how such differences in opinion can lead to the formation of distinct groups that share similar preferences. The Emory University study shows the importance of one neural pathway in the formation of and preferences regarding social groups themselves. Together, these studies show personal and neural reasons behind social groups and how they form. Both studies can be expanded upon in ways that help expand the understanding of socialization and how it works. Perhaps the importance of other neural pathways can be found and it can be better understood how parts of the brain work together in the formation of social groups. Also, polarization can be studied in a way that attempts to understand how differences in opinion can lead to social group formation and what neural pathways are involved in that process. There are many questions regarding how and why socialization occurs, and these studies help to anwer some of these questions while providing future questions that can be studied.

References:

https://neurosciencenews.com/social-preference-neuroscience-27645/