People were forced to experience 10h of mandated fasting or total social isolation. After isolation, people felt lonely and craved social interaction. Midbrain regions showed selective activation to food cues after fasting and to social cues after isolation. Striatal and cortical regions differentiated between craving food and craving social interaction. Our results support the intuitive idea that acute isolation causes social craving.
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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-020-00742-z