Homeostasis is a fundamental concept in biology and ensures the stability of life by maintaining the constancy of physiological processes. Recent years have witnessed a surge in research interest in these physiological processes, with a growing focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying social homeostasis. This shift in focus underscores our increasing understanding of the importance of social interactions and their impact on individual well-being. In this review, we explore the interconnected research across 3 primary categories: understanding the neural mechanisms influencing set points, defining contemporary factors that can disrupt social homeostasis, and identifying the potential contributions of social homeostatic failure in the development of psychiatric diseases. We also delve into the role of the prefrontal cortex and its circuitry in regulating social behavior, decision-making processes, and the manifestation of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Finally, we examine the influence of more recent factors such as growing social media exposure and the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, highlighting their disruptive effects. We also identify gaps in current literature through the analysis of research trends and propose future research directions to advance our understanding of social homeostasis, with implications for mental health interventions.

中文翻译：

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前额皮质回路在维持社会稳态中的作用


体内平衡是生物学的一个基本概念，通过维持生理过程的恒定性来确保生命的稳定性。近年来，人们对这些生理过程的研究兴趣激增，越来越关注理解社会稳态的机制。这种焦点的转变凸显了我们对社交互动的重要性及其对个人福祉的影响的日益了解。在这篇综述中，我们探讨了三个主要类别的相互关联的研究：了解影响设定点的神经机制，定义可能破坏社会稳态的当代因素，以及确定社会稳态失败在精神疾病发展中的潜在贡献。我们还深入研究了前额皮质及其回路在调节社会行为、决策过程以及抑郁和焦虑等神经精神疾病表现中的作用。最后，我们研究了近期因素的影响，例如社交媒体曝光度的增加和 COVID-19 大流行对心理健康的影响，强调了它们的破坏性影响。我们还通过分析研究趋势来确定当前文献中的差距，并提出未来的研究方向，以增进我们对社会稳态的理解，并对心理健康干预措施产生影响。