The hormone of monogamy

Oxytocin is the guardian of marital fidelity

ABC MagazineA man in a stable relationship prefers to be at a respectful distance from an unfamiliar attractive woman if he has the hormone oxytocin in his body.

These are the conclusions of a study conducted by German researchers and published in The Journal of Neuroscience (Scheele et al., Oxytocin Modulates Social Distance between Males and Females).

Oxytocin is produced by the hypothalamus of the brain and plays an extremely important role in triggering the mechanism of childbirth, as well as contributes to the formation of maternal behavior. He also participates in the formation of social ties between parents and children and between representatives of the opposite sex. Previous studies have also shown that oxytocin increases the degree of trust between people.

In a recent study, scientists from the University of Bonn wondered whether oxytocin affects the fidelity of partners in monogamous relationships. A similar study has already been conducted with animals, but it was conducted in humans for the first time. A group of healthy heterosexual men randomly received a nasal spray with oxytocin or a placebo spray. After 45 minutes, a girl was invited to the participants' room, whom men from both groups found attractive. After that, the researchers asked the participants how comfortable they felt if the girl was a little closer or a little further away from them, and which distance they considered ideal and which was uncomfortable.

Since oxytocin increases trust in people around them, the researchers were sure that the girl would be able to come very close to the volunteers who received oxytocin, but they were mistaken. The results of the experiment confirmed the results of the animal study. Those of the participants who were in a stable relationship and received a dose of oxytocin preferred that the girl was 10-15 cm further than the distance that suited the bachelors and the placebo group. At the same time, the results did not depend on whether there was eye contact between the girl and the participant at the time of approach, and on who was approaching whom. As soon as the researchers replaced the girl with a young man, the difference in the preferred distance between the groups disappeared. Researchers are sure that from now on oxytocin can be considered a hormone of monogamy and marital fidelity.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru19.11.2012