A unifying account of loss aversion and loneliness: from neurocognitive bases to affective dysfunction

In this perspective paper we advance the hypothesis that loss aversion (the general tendency to weigh losses significantly more than equivalent gains) and loneliness (the distress arising from perceived social deficiency and isolation) share a fundamental basis in negativity bias and partially overlapping neuro-cognitive mechanisms. Although traditionally studied separately, we argue that both phenomena reflect heightened sensitivity to negative information, expressed in distinctive attentional and expectancy biases, and in opposite response patterns in striatal and insular neural systems processing rewards and negative affects, respectively. Moreover, both phenomena are associated with individual differences in emotion regulation and cognitive control, reflected in altered amygdala-prefrontal cortex connectivity. We propose that - when exacerbated - these shared behavioral and neural patterns may contribute to the affective dysfunction observed in depression, thereby helping explain the robust association of this condition with both loss aversion and loneliness. By integrating evidence from experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience and clinical research, we outline the shared underpinnings of loss aversion and loneliness while also delineating their theoretical and experimental differences. This unified framework offers novel insights into the cognitive and neural mechanisms supporting self-preservation, and motivates future interdisciplinary investigation linking decision-making with social attitudes and interactions.