Social interactions are essential for cohesive societies and fostering cooperation among organisms. These behaviors, traditionally believed to be unique to humans, are guided by complex social norms and subtle signaling mechanisms that promote cooperation. While translational animal models are commonly used to study social behaviors, they often lack the motivational component driving the decision between individuals to engage in social interaction. In this dissertation, I discuss recent methodological progress in dissecting the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms underlying rodent social behaviors. In Chapter 1, I provide an overview of the underlying principals of social behavior and rodent models of social behavior. Next, I examine key dimensions of social behaviors. Specifically, in Chapter 2 I explore the role of social sensory information in social choice within the context of substance use disorder. In Chapter 3, I investigate the influence of social environment and motivation between two individuals, introducing a novel model of mutual social self-administration and its underlying mechanisms, with a focus on the norepinephrine system. In Chapter 4, I examine the neuronal mechanisms driving social craving following periods of social isolation. Finally, in Chapter 5, I discuss the broader implications of my graduate research, summarizing key insights and future directions for understanding the fundamental neurobiological mechanisms of social behavior.