Evidence from a new study by a team of scientists from the University of Geneva suggests that craving for social interaction is associated with the brain’s reward system. This occurs through the activation of dopaminergic neurons. All results obtained in the course of this study were published in the publication Nature Neuroscience.
Several experiments have been conducted to identify the neurons that are activated during social interaction. Mice took part in them. Scientists taught animals to perform a task that allowed them to come into contact with other mice. It turned out that when interacting with relatives in the brain of the mice, dopaminergic neurons were activated, which produce dopamine (the hormone of happiness).