ReviewA geographical history of social cognitive neuroscience

The history of social cognitive neuroscience (SCN) began with isolated islands of research in Europe and the United States in the 1990s. In the decade between 1995 and 2004 most of the major areas of current SCN research were identified in a series of high profile first studies. This paper reviews the timeline as well as the geography of important moments in the short history of this field. Of note is the different focus seen in European contributions (theory of mind, mirror neurons, and empathy) and the more self-focused U.S. contributions (self-knowledge, emotion regulation, implicit attitudes).

► Reviews the history of social cognitive neuroscience. ► Examines U.S. versus European contributions. ► European research focused more on understanding others. ► U.S. research focused more on the self.