The role of social thermoregulation in psychological functioning Seminar

One of the most striking features of animal sociality is the tendency to regulate each other’s temperature. This ability has received wide coverage across different animal species, and has become known as social thermoregulation. In fact, in rodents, social thermoregulation is only one of two supported causes for group living (risk avoidance is the other; Ebensberger, 2001). In humans, normal development to adulthood depends on the ability to regulate one’s temperature, and the inability to do so means certain death.

Despite the crucial role of social thermoregulation in animal sociality and in human survival, the concept of social thermoregulation has not been extended to higher order cognitive functioning in humans. In this talk, I will outline the role of social thermoregulation in three important domains of psychology: Emotion theories, attachment theory, and self regulation. I will rely on economy of action perspectives and the hierarchical organization of the mind in order to understand just why social thermoregulation is so critical in human functioning.