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.

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