Pursuing dating relationships is important for many people’s well-being, because it helps them fulfill the need for stable social relationships. However, the neural underpinnings of decision-making processes during the pursuit of dating interactions are unclear. In the present study, we used a novel online speed dating paradigm where participants (undergraduate students, N = 25, aged 18–25 years, 52% female) received direct information about acceptance or rejection of their various speed dates. We recorded EEG measurements during speed dating feedback anticipation and feedback processing stages to examine the stimulus preceding negativity (SPN) and feedback-related brain activity (Reward Positivity, RewP, and theta oscillatory power). The results indicated that the SPN was larger when participants anticipated interest versus disinterest from their speed dates. A larger RewP was observed when participants received interest from their speed dates. Theta power was increased when participants received rejection from their speed dates. This theta response could be source-localized to brain areas that overlap with the physical pain matrix (anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the supplementary motor area). This study demonstrates that decision-making processes—as evident in a speed date experiment—are characterized by distinct neurophysiological responses during anticipating an evaluation and processing thereof. Our results corroborate the involvement of the SPN in reward anticipation, RewP in reward processing and mid-frontal theta power in processing of negative social-evaluative feedback. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the neurocognitive mechanisms implicated in decision-making processes when pursuing dating relationships.

追求约会关系对许多人的幸福很重要，因为这有助于他们满足稳定社会关系的需求。然而，在追求约会互动的过程中，决策过程的神经基础尚不清楚。在本研究中，我们使用了一种新颖的在线快速约会范式，参与者（本科生，N= 25，年龄在 18-25 岁，52% 的女性）收到有关接受或拒绝他们各种快速约会的直接信息。我们在快速约会反馈预期和反馈处理阶段记录了 EEG 测量值，以检查刺激先于消极性 (SPN) 和反馈相关的大脑活动（奖励积极性、RewP 和 theta 振荡功率）。结果表明，当参与者预期对他们的快速约会感兴趣而不是不感兴趣时​​，SPN 更大。当参与者从他们的快速约会中获得兴趣时，观察到更大的 RewP。当参与者从他们的快速约会中收到拒绝时，Theta 功率会增加。这种 theta 反应可以源定位于与身体疼痛基质重叠的大脑区域（前扣带回皮层、背外侧前额叶皮层、和辅助运动区）。这项研究表明，决策过程——正如在快速约会实验中所证明的那样——在预期评估和处理过程中以不同的神经生理反应为特征。我们的结果证实了 SPN 参与奖励预期、RewP 参与奖励处理以及中额叶 theta 功率参与处理负面社会评价反馈。这些发现有助于更好地理解在追求约会关系时与决策过程有关的神经认知机制。我们的结果证实了 SPN 参与奖励预期、RewP 参与奖励处理以及中额叶 theta 功率参与处理负面社会评价反馈。这些发现有助于更好地理解在追求约会关系时与决策过程有关的神经认知机制。我们的结果证实了 SPN 参与奖励预期、RewP 参与奖励处理以及中额叶 theta 功率参与处理负面社会评价反馈。这些发现有助于更好地理解在追求约会关系时与决策过程有关的神经认知机制。