The love hormone, the monogamy hormone, the cuddle
hormone, the trust-me drug: oxytocin has many
nicknames. That's because this naturally occurring
human hormone has recently been shown to help people
with autism and schizophrenia overcome social
deficits.
As a result, some psychologists are keen to
prescribe oxytocin off-label, in order to treat mild
social unease in those who don't suffer from a
diagnosed disorder.
Not such a good idea, say researchers from Concordia
University's Centre for Research in Human
Development. Their recent study, published in the
American Psychological Association's journal
Emotion, shows that, in healthy young adults, too
much oxytocin can actually result in oversensitivity
to emotions in others.
To perform the study, PhD candidates Christopher
Cardoso and Anne-Marie Linnen, and psychology
professor Mark Ellenbogen recruited 82 healthy young
adults who presented no signs of schizophrenia,
autism or related disorders. Half of the
participants were given measured doses of oxytocin
while the other half was given a placebo.
Participants then completed an emotion
identification accuracy test that had them compare
different facial expressions showing various
emotional nuances.
As expected, the participants who had been given
oxytocin saw greater emotional intensity in the
faces that they were rating than did those given a
placebo.
"For some, typical situations like dinner parties or
job interviews can be a source of major social
anxiety," says Cardoso, who was the lead author on
the study. "Many psychologists initially thought
that oxytocin could be an easy fix in overcoming
these worries. Our study proves that the hormone
ramps up innate social reasoning skills, resulting
in an emotional oversensitivity that can be
detrimental in those who don't have any serious
social deficiencies."
Cardoso explains: "if your potential boss grimaces
because she's uncomfortable in her chair and you
think she's reacting negatively to what you're
saying, or if the guy you're talking to at a party
smiles to be friendly and you think he's coming onto
you, it can lead you to overreact and can be real a
problem. That's why we're cautioning against giving
oxytocin to people who don't really need it.
Ultimately, oxytocin has solid potential to help
those with diagnosed mental disorders overcome
social deficits, such as autism, but the potential
social benefits of oxytocin in most people may be
countered by unintended negative consequences, like
being too sensitive to emotional cues in everyday
life.
For more information
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