Summary: The chemical signal dopamine plays an unexpected role in social interactions, new research shows. ... Researchers know it's released by nerve cells called dopamine neurons, and that there are many different groups of these in the brain.

Does Socialising release dopamine?

It has been known that there is dopamine release involved in social behavior, though how this comes about has been elusive. The answer has to do with oxytocin – the “love hormone.”

What role does dopamine play in our social interactions?

Altogether, there is evidence from a variety of studies that the dopaminergic reward circuits in the basal ganglia form the primary neural system for processing reward of various social stimuli which could motivate social behavior.