hormone of love oxytocin

According to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco the hormone best known for its role in inducing labor may influence our ability to bond with others. In a preliminary study, the hormone oxytocin was shown to be associated with the ability to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships and healthy psychological boundaries with other people. This study appeared in the July issue of Psychiatry.

"This is one of the first looks into the biological basis for human attachment and bonding," reported Rebecca Turner, PhD, UCSF adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry and lead author of the study.

The study builds upon previous knowledge of the important role oxytocin plays in the reproductive life of mammals. Tested was the idea that oxytocin is released in response to certain emotional states in addition to physical cues.

Twenty-six women between the ages of 23 and 35 were asked to recall and re-experience a past relationship event that caused them to feel a positive emotion, such as love or infatuation, and a negative emotion, such as loss or abandonment. Various questionnaires, including the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems and the Adult Attachment Scale, were used to assess each woman’s previous experiences with personal and close relationships. The results correlated, with statistical significance, with the recorded changes in bloodstream oxytocin levels.

Women whose oxytocin levels rose in response to massage and remembering a positive relationship reported having little difficulty setting appropriate boundaries, being alone, and trying too hard to please others. Women whose oxytocin levels fell in response to remembering a negative emotional relationship reported greater problems with experiencing anxiety in close relationships.

Additional research done in CLAREMONT, Calif. — identified the hormone oxytocin as a pheromone that made people display trust in others.

The researchers reported the hormone oxytocin is a key chemical component for trust that exists between strangers. Claremont professor Paul J. Zak, who specializes in a field known as neuroeconomics, is one of five authors of the research. He reported that the hormone is key to the "biological underpinnings of human societies."

"Oxytocin reduces the anxiety associated with interacting with strangers. With this understanding we can better treat social phobias, modify behavior in criminals, and design workplaces that raise interpersonal trust."

There are several products commercially available that contain oxytocin and they include AndromagnetismTM and Liquid Trust.

Author: J Andrews

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