Human language and social cognition are two key disciplines that have traditionally been studied as separate domains. Nonetheless, an emerging view suggests an alternative perspective. Drawing on the theoretical underpinnings of the social brain hypothesis (thesis of the evolution of brain size and intelligence), the social complexity hypothesis (thesis of the evolution of communication), and empirical research from comparative animal behavior, human social behavior, language acquisition in children, social cognitive neuroscience, and the cognitive neuroscience of language, it is argued that social cognition and language are two significantly interconnected capacities of the human species. Here, evidence in support of this view reviews (1) recent developmental studies on language learning in infants and young children, pointing to the important crucial benefits associated with social stimulation for youngsters, including the quality and quantity of incoming linguistic information, dyadic infant/child-to-parent non-verbal and verbal interactions, and other important social cues integral for facilitating language learning and social bonding; (2) studies of the adult human brain, suggesting a high degree of specialization for sociolinguistic information processing, memory retrieval, and comprehension, suggesting that the function of these neural areas may connect social cognition with language and social bonding; (3) developmental deficits in language and social cognition, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), illustrating a unique developmental profile, further linking language, social cognition, and social bonding; and (4) neural biomarkers that may help to identify early developmental disorders of language and social cognition. In effect, the social brain and social complexity hypotheses may jointly help to describe how neurotypical children and adults acquire language, why autistic children and adults exhibit simultaneous deficits in language and social cogniti The social brain hypothesis posits that the cognitive pressures of residing in dynamic animal societies, selected for increases in the volume of the primate brain, explain the atypically large brains of a number of anthropoid primates [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. The initial data for this thesis came primarily from the discovery that neocortex size correlates with the size of social groupings for a variety of anthropoid primates, including humans (see Figure 1 ; for a review, see [ 4 ]). In humans, a complex network of brain regions underlies important social activities, including the recognition and cognitive processing of social signals, recognizing faces, evaluating mental states (i.e., mentalizing or theory of mind), perceiving emotions, sharing attention, determining friends from foes, evaluating others’ perceptions and beliefs, social learning, relationship formation, and social bonding [ 1 , 16 , 17 ]. Further, much work now reveals that the social brain hypothesis explains not only variation in the volume of the brain between various primates, but also individual differences in the volume of the brain in humans, in regard to several different features of human social networking and social cognition. In particular, the volume of gray matter in the OFC, ACC, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), amygdala, and STS are associated with individual differences in higher-order intentionality capacity (i.e., advanced mentalizing or theory of mind) and social network size [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. In summary, the cognitive neuroscience of the human brain suggests a large amount of functional specialization for social perception and social information processing, including regulation from the neural network level to the neurotransmitter level, including distinctly social neurotransmitters such as oxytocin and endorphins [ 4 , 19 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. 3. The Social Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language In a similar fashion, despite the clear anthropological and evolutionary connection between the social brain and social communication, as described above, this framework has not yet been fully integrated into our current understanding of the In humans, a complex network of brain regions underlies the processing of language, including speech comprehension and production, and substantive integration with the social brain, including social-semantic working memory, and encompassing regulation from the neural network level to the neurotransmitter level, including social neurotransmitters such as oxytocin, endorphins, and dopamine [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. In an influential and noteworthy model of the cognitive neuroscience of language, Pierre Paul Broca determined in 1861 that language processing areas are located primarily in the left cerebral hemisphere of the brain [ 40 ]. Detailed studies of comparative animal behavior, human social behavior, profound deficits of social cognition like autism spectrum disorder (ASD), social cognitive neuroscience, and the cognitive neuroscience of language in adults suggest a similar profile. In particular, the human brain shows a high level of specialization and functional overlap of neural areas dedicated to social and linguistic memory retrieval, information processing, and comprehension, intimating the evolutionary function of these areas connects social cognition with language and social bonding (see Figure 7 ). Figure 7 The human brain displays a high level of specialization for social and linguistic information processing. Traditional areas of the social brain are highlighted in warm colors, areas of the language brain in cool colors, pointing to substantive overlap and integration. Broca’s area (BA) is associated with both speech and mirror neurons, as the ventral temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and lateral anterior temporal lobe (lATL) are associated with social-semantic working memory, indicating the function of these areas connect social cognition with language and social bonding.

AbstractThe episodic memory system is flexible and complex, and likely evolved in response to a wide range of survival-relevant problems in our evolutionary past, both social and nonsocial. Episodic memory allows us to recollect and infer details that may have seemed trivial on encoding, but are now known to be relevant. This memory aids humans in navigating their uncertain environment. Episodic memory solves both social and nonsocial problems, and evolved to fulfill many different functions | Behavioral and Brain Sciences | Cambridge Core Search Institution Login Search Hostname: page-component-66d9dcfd78-nm4xk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-08-08T06:50:26.932Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false Home > Journals > Behavioral and Brain Sciences > Volume 41 > Episodic memory solves both social and nonsocial problems,... English Français Behavioral and Brain Sciences Article contents Abstract References Episodic memory solves both social and nonsocial problems, and evolved to fulfill many different functions Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 January 2018 Raymond A. Mar and R. Nathan Spreng Show author details Raymond A. Mar Affiliation: Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3 Canada. mar@yorku.ca yorku.ca/mar R. Nathan Spreng Affiliation: Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada. nathan.spreng@gmail.com Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. http://lbc.human.cornell.edu Commentary Related commentaries Metrics Article contents Abstract References Get access Share Cite Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window] Abstract The episodic memory system is flexible and complex, and likely evolved in response to a wide range of survival-relevant problems in our evolutionary past, both social and nonsocial. Episodic memory allows us to recollect and infer details that may have seemed trivial on encoding, but are now known to be relevant. This memory aids humans in navigating their uncertain environment. Google Scholar Raichle , M ( 2010 ) Two views of brain function . Trends in Cognitive Sciences 14 : 180 –90. Google Scholar Spreng , R. N. & Andrews-Hanna , J. R. ( 2015 ) The default Google Scholar Tavares , R. , William , C. , Grossman , Y. , Mendelsohn , A. , Shapiro , M. , Trope , Y. & Schiller , D. ( 2015 ) A map for social navigation in the human brain . Neuron 87 : 231 –43. Google Scholar Yates , F. A. ( 1966 ) The art of memory . University of Chicago Press . Google Scholar Target article Why do we remember? The communicative function of episodic memory Johannes B. Mahr and   Gergely Csibra Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 41 Related commentaries (33) An adaptive function of mental time travel: Motivating farsighted decisions Roland G. Benoit ,   Ruud M. W. J. Berkers and   Philipp C. 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of self- and social-awareness, evolved social beliefs and attitudes, and a capacity and appetite to manage complex social change.[citation needed] Neuropsychologist Social intelligence (SI), sometimes referenced as social intelligence quotient or (SQ), is the ability to understand one's own and others' actions. Social intelligence is learned and develops from experience with people and learning from success and failures in social settings. It is an important interpersonal skill that helps individuals succeed in all aspects of their lives. Was a driving force in developing the size of human brains or "executive brains" Today provides our ability to use those large brains in complex social circumstances. This hypothesis claims that the demands of living together drives our need for intelligence, and that social intelligence is an evolutionary adaptation for dealing with highly complex social situations, as well as for gaining and maintaining power in social groups. Archaeologist Steve Mithen believes that there are two key evolutionary periods of human brain growth that contextualize the social intelligence hypothesis. The first was about two million years ago, when the brain more than doubled in size. Mithen believes that this growth was because people were living in larger, more complex groups, and had to keep track of more people and relationships. These changes required a greater mental capacity and, in turn, a larger brain size. The second key growth period in human brain size occurred between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, when the brain reached its modern size. While this growth is still not fully explained, Mithen believes that it is related to the evolution of language. Language may be the most complex cognitive task we undertake. Language is related to social intelligence because it is used to mediate social relationships. Social intelligence was a critical factor in brain growth. Social and cognitive complexity co-evolve. Social intelligence (SI), sometimes referenced as social intelligence quotient or (SQ), is the ability to understand one's own and others' actions. Social intelligence is learned and develops from experience with people and learning from success and failures in social settings. It is an important interpersonal skill that helps individuals succeed in all aspects of their lives. Was a driving force in developing the size of human brains or "executive brains" Today provides our ability to use those large brains in complex social circumstances. This hypothesis claims that the demands of living together drives our need for intelligence, and that social intelligence is an evolutionary adaptation for dealing with highly complex social situations, as well as for gaining and maintaining power in social groups. Archaeologist Steve Mithen believes that there are two key evolutionary periods of human brain growth that contextualize the social intelligence hypothesis. The first was about two million years ago, when the brain more than doubled in size. Mithen believes that this growth was because people were living in larger, more complex groups, and had to keep track of more people and relationships. These changes required a greater mental capacity and, in turn, a larger brain size. The second key growth period in human brain size occurred between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, when the brain reached its modern size. While this growth is still not fully explained, Mithen believes that it is related to the evolution of language. Language may be the most complex cognitive task we undertake. Language is related to social intelligence because it is used to mediate social relationships. Social intelligence was a critical factor in brain growth. Social and cognitive complexity co-evolve. Observation of human behavior Recognition of the mental state of the speaker Memory for names and faces Judgment in social situations Sense of humor