Intranasal oxytocin increases positive communication and reduces cortisol levels during couple conflict.

By Beate Ditzen, M. Schaer, Barbara Gabriel, Guy Bodenmann, Ulrike Ehlert, M. Heinrichs. Biological Psychiatry, 2009

760 citations recorded by the source corpus.

BACKGROUND In nonhuman mammals, the neuropeptide oxytocin has repeatedly been shown to increase social approach behavior and pair bonding. In particular, central nervous oxytocin reduces behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to social stress and is suggested to mediate the rewarding aspects of attachment in highly social species. However, to date there have been no studies investigating the effects of central oxytocin mechanisms on behavior and physiology in human couple interaction. METHODS In a double-blind placebo-controlled design, 47 heterosexual couples (total n = 94) received oxytocin or placebo intranasally before a standard instructed couple conflict discussion in the laboratory. The conflict session was videotaped and coded for verbal and nonverbal interaction behavior (e.g., eye contact, nonverbal positive behavior, and self-disclosure). Salivary cortisol was repeatedly measured during the experiment. RESULTS Oxytocin significantly increased positive communication behavior in relation to negative behavior during the couple conflict discussion (F = 4.18, p = .047) and significantly reduced salivary cortisol levels after the conflict compared with placebo (F = 7.14, p = .011). CONCLUSIONS These results are in line with animal studies indicating that central oxytocin facilitates approach and pair bonding behavior. Our findings imply an involvement of oxytocin in couple interaction and close relationships in humans.

Subfields: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Genetics, Social Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/1bdf193ce2f1300da2dc3d6f38cbbfb50be24a17

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

In Genetics

In Social Psychology

Citations in the corpus

Psychobiological Mechanisms Underlying the Social Buffering of the HPA Axis: A Review of Animal Models and Human Studies across Development (2013, background): “…ability to “read the mind” of another person (Domes, Heinrichs, Michel, Berger, & Herpertz, 2007), paternal responsiveness to infants during play (Naber, van IJzendoorn, Deschamps, van Engeland, & Bakermans-Kranenburg, 2010), and positive communication during couple conflict (Ditzen et al., 2009).”
An upward spiral: Bidirectional associations between positive affect and positive aspects of close relationships across the life span (2015, background): “Oxytocin also increases positive communication in adult couples (Ditzen et al., 2009), and is linked to higher levels of partner support (Grewen, Girdler, Amico, & Light, 2005).”
Self-Transcendent Emotions and Their Social Functions: Compassion, Gratitude, and Awe Bind Us to Others Through Prosociality (2017, background): “Compassion, and elevation indirectly, have been associated with the release of oxytocin, which reduces activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and is negatively associated with cortisol (Barraza & Zak, 2009; Ditzen et al., 2009; Silvers & Haidt, 2008).”
The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity (2010, positive): “…trust and altruism, stimulate affiliative social interactions and approach behavior, and enhance emotional empathy (e.g., Alvares et al., 2010; Ditzen et al., 2009; Domes et al., 2010; Kemp and Guastella, 2010; Hurlemann et al., 2010; Kosfeld et al., 2005; Theodoridou et al., 2009; Zak et…”
The Biology of Trust: Integrating Evidence From Genetics, Endocrinology, and Functional Brain Imaging (2012, background): “…of AVP, for example, has been shown to increase salivary COR levels in a social stress test (de Winter et al., 2003; Ebstein et al., 2009; Patchev & Almeida, 1995), while intranasal administered OXT reduced the COR response to social stress (Ditzen et al., 2009; Heinrichs et al., 2003).”
Oxytocin and social affiliation in humans. (2012, background): “nication (Ditzen et al., 2009) and plasma OT was related to positive”
Oxytocin receptor genetic variation relates to empathy and stress reactivity in humans (2009, background): “Furthermore, intranasal oxytocin reduces amygdala activation and cortisol increases to emotional stimuli (20, 37).”
Oxytocin: the Great Facilitator of Life (2009, neutral): “Heterosexual couples receiving intranasal Oxt prior to a videotaped “conflict discussion” display significantly increased positive communication behaviors (such as eye contact, self-disclosure, and positive body language) than couples treated with placebo (Ditzen et al., 2008).”
The neuroscience of social decision-making. (2011, positive): “Similar mechanisms may be at play in humans, as intranasal OT increases positive communication during couple conflict (Ditzen et al. 2009).”
The role of oxytocin in social bonding, stress regulation and mental health: an update on the moderating effects of context and interindividual differences. (2013, background): “…effects of oxytocin administration on stress reactivity include decreases in subjective stress ratings (Heinrichs et al., 2003), as well as increases in parasympathetic cardiac control (Norman et al., 2011) and decreases in salivary cortisol levels (Ditzen et al., 2009; Linnen et al., 2012).”
Oxytocin and vasopressin in the human brain: social neuropeptides for translational medicine (2011, background): “Another study showed that intranasal OXT increased positive communication behaviour in both men and women during a couple conflict, and reduced plasma cortisol levels during the conflic”
Oxytocin, vasopressin, and human social behavior. (2009, result): “In another study, Ditzen and colleagues [39] show that 40 IU intranasal OT increases positive communication behavior during a couple conflict in both men and women, and significantly reduces cortisol reactivity, which is in line with animal studies indicating that central OT facilitates pair-bonding”