Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Institute of Experimental Epileptology and Cognition Research, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Tom Willems
Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Maria Gädeke
Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Ghada Chakkour
Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Medical School, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Alexander Franke
Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Medical School, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Bernd Weber
Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Institute of Experimental Epileptology and Cognition Research, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Rene Hurlemann
Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Social interactions have a major impact on well-being. While many individuals actively seek social situations, others avoid them, at great cost to their private and professional life. The neural mechanisms underlying individual differences in social approach or avoidance tendencies are poorly understood. Here we estimated people’s subjective value of engaging in a social situation. In each trial, more or less socially anxious participants chose between an interaction with a human partner providing social feedback and a monetary amount. With increasing social anxiety, the subjective value of social engagement decreased; amygdala BOLD response during decision-making and when experiencing social feedback increased; ventral striatum BOLD response to positive social feedback decreased; and connectivity between these regions during decision-making increased. Amygdala response was negatively related to the subjective value of social engagement. These findings suggest a relation between trait social anxiety/social avoidance and activity in a subcortical network during social decision-making.
