Social Baseline Theory

A theory proposing that the human brain expects access to social relationships that mitigate risk and diminish the level of effort needed to meet a variety of goals. The theory prescribes that the human brain expects access to relationships characterized by interdependence, shared goals, and joint attention. Violations of this expectation increase cognitive and physiological effort as the brain perceives fewer available resources and prepares the body to either conserve or more heavily invest its own energy.

A theory suggesting that our brains expect us to be surrounded by supportive relationships to help share the load of life. When we are alone, or those relationships are threatened, our brain treats it as an emergency—forcing our bodies to burn much more energy and stress capital just to stay safe and get by.

Reference:

Coan, J. A., & Sbarra, D. A. (2015). Social baseline theory: The social regulation of risk and effort. Current Opinion in Psychology, 1, 87-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2014.12.021