Oxytocin: How One Molecule Shapes Our Social Lives

oxytocingraphic_web

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Oxytocin: how one molecule shapes our social lives

What is it?
Neuropeptide [noor-oh-pep-tahyd]=
A peptide produced by neural tissue, esp one with hormonal activity.[3]

Or, a molecule that helps with[2]:
analgesia
rewards
food intake
metabolism
reproduction
social behavior
learning
and memory functions.

It’s something tiny that alters our entire social world.

Attraction:
Oxytocin attracts us to others when we’re single, and reinforces existing relationships when we aren’t.

The Experiment: [1]

86 healthy, heterosexual males:
–Half in relationships
half of those with a dose of oxytocin
the other half with a placebo
–Half single
half of those with a dose of oxytocin
half of those with a placebo

The setting:
A room with an attractive female experimenter
And a control male experimenter

What we’re watching:
1.) space between experimenter and experimentee
2.) eye contact

Results:
[group, ideal distance [cm]]
1a.) Oxytocin/in relationship/with eye contact: c. 70cm
2a.) Oxytocin/single/with eye contact: c. 68 cm
3a.) Placebo/in relationship/with eye contact: c. 56 cm
4a.) Placebo/Single/with eye contact: c.57 cm
1b.) Oxytocin/in relationship/ no eye contact:c. 69.5 cm
2b.) Oxytocin/single/no eye contact:c. 57 cm
3b.) Placebo/in relationship/no eye contact: c. 54cm
4b.) Placebo/single/no eye contact: c. 54 cm

To point out:
Distance between Oxytocin/in relationship, and both placebo’d parties.
Or, ‘a steady 6 inch difference can mean a lot when signaling attraction.’

Strengthening of social memories: good or bad
Oxytocin heightens social memories, both good and bad

Components:
3 groups of mice:
1.) Oxytocin receptors removed
2.) Extra Oxytocin receptors
3.) Normal Oxytocin receptors

Each placed into individual cages with more aggressive mice.

Six hours later:
Mice placed back in cages with aggressive mice

Group 1: initially showed no fear
Group 2: showed intense fear
Group 3: showed moderate fear

The group with no Oxytocin receptors appeared to have forgotten the violent encounter.

The groupthink hormone:
Experiment 1:[5][6]

6 Groups of 6,
One half of the participants on oxytocin

Groups viewed images and voted on the most attractive(1-11 ratings).

Placebo (group 1) and Oxytocined(group 2) groups viewed their own and other groups responses.

Group 1 and 2 agreed with their group more often than not.
But Group 2 cited more strongly with their group when another group disagreed.

Summary: Oxytocin enhances bonds with those around you, and subsequently alienates you from other groups.

Experiment 2:[7][8]
Components:
400 participants who identify strongly with a campus group:
ROTC, Band members, frat members, sports teammates.
Performing a group ritual:
(marching),(band practice), (ritual), (practice or travel)
Led to increased oxytocin levels.

Groups played trust and sharing games (can visualize as company retreat type ‘catch me as I fall back’ type games)
For money
Then had the option to
1.) split the money among their group
2.) donate to a random charity

Groups that reported feeling more marginalized went for option (1).
(Band nerds;sports teams without many fans)
And in the presence of stress or heightened testosterone:
Groups were outright aggressive against other groups.

Oxytocin fosters trust, not gullibility[9]
60 men: half with a spray of oxytocin (group 1)
Half without(group 2)
Played a game where they could transfer money to
1.) a trustworthy partner
2.) the computer
3.) an untrustworthy partner

Group 1
Gave more to 1, and 2, but not to 3
Group 2
Gave less to 1, 2, and 3

Summary: Oxytocin made partipants more trusting, not unreasonable.

Oxytocin: the love, cuddle, holiday, moral, and group think hormone makes us who we are, for better and worse.

oxytocingraphic_v1

Citations:

  1. http://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/46/16074.full.pdf+html
  2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuropeptide
  3. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Neuropeptide?s=t
  4. http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/07/27/love-hormone-oxytocin-tied-to-social-anxiety-fear-in-mice/57652.html
  5. http://pss.sagepub.com/content/23/11/1288.abstract
  6. http://oxytocincentral.com/2013/03/oxytocin-helps-group-thinking-and-working/
  7. http://www.alternet.org/culture/5-surprising-ways-oxytocin-shapes-your-social-life?page=0%2C2
  8. http://www.neuroeconomicstudies.org/
  9. http://pss.sagepub.com/content/21/8/1072