Background: Learning in higher education is a multifaceted phenomenon emerging at the intersection of social interactions, cognitive processes, and neural mechanisms, yet an integrated framework that explains these dimensions simultaneously remains limited. This study aimed to systematically identify and analyze the dimensions, themes, and mechanisms associated with the “social brain” in higher-education learning contexts.
Methods: Following PRISMA 2020, we conducted a comprehensive search of international databases. After screening and quality appraisal using the MMAT, 36 studies published between 2012 and 2026 were included. Data were integrated through narrative synthesis and thematic analysis to reveal conceptual patterns and relations across social-cognitive, pedagogical, and neurobiological dimensions.
Results: We identified 63 subthemes organized into 17 overarching themes and three core dimensions: social-cognitive, pedagogical-instructional, and neural-neurobiological. Key linking themes included mentalizing, sense of belonging, emotion regulation, instructional feedback, the instructor’s facilitative role, and brain-to-brain synchrony, portraying learning as a dynamic network rather than a linear process.
Conclusions: The resulting integrative model supports a paradigmatic shift from transmission-oriented approaches toward human-centered learning and informs innovation in instructional design and curriculum. Implications include advancing integrative learning models, fostering interdisciplinary research, designing social-brain-informed interventions, and informing higher-education policy. Findings also highlight the centrality of relational learning climates.