Current knowledge allows to draw an initial picture of the complex neurobiological inter-play underlying the functioning of the human social brain. The high complexity of the social brain accounts for its high vulnerability to a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. We focused on social dysfunction in mood and anxiety disorders, underlying the neurobiological basis of social deficits in these disorders. Interestingly, the neurobiological substrates sustaining social deficits are similar across the different conditions and comparable to those observed in other neuropsychiatric disorders. Thus, social dysfunction may represent a (partially) independent domain with specific biological roots. A better understanding of these neurobiological substrates may pave the way for the development of targeted treatments.