Wednesday, November 14, 2012

A dose of oxytocin may keep your man from cheating

Examiner:

Men given a dose of oxytocin may be more faithful to their female partners, researchers proclaim.

The new study showed heterosexual men in monogamous relationships who sniffed oxytocin stayed clear of attractive women by keeping their distance from them; literally, a physical distance. The research was accepted in the Journal of Neuroscience on Nov. 14.

The findings strongly suggest men in committed relationships will consciously not get too close to another attractive woman. This suggests oxytocin may be an inner safety net to prevent infidelity.

Oxytocin is a (hormone) neurotransmitter in the brain. It has been dubbed the ‘love’ hormone due to its relationship with social bonding. When couples kiss or embrace a loved one, oxytocin levels rise in the body, giving the feeling of reward and pleasure.

There has been a lot of news regarding what oxytocin does and does not do. Recently, an article was published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research by researchers at the University of North Carolina stating that oxytocin may aid in alcohol withdrawal in humans. While this may be promising news for alcoholics, more studies need to be conducted to confirm the validity.

Indeed, in rodents, oxytocin can successfully fight unpleasant alcohol and heroin withdrawal symptoms. And if given before the addiction even occurs, the hormone may even prevent the development of tolerance and symptoms of physical dependence. Time

Now for the bad news:

Before you go shopping for oxytocin for your husband, another recent study found that the “down-regulation” of weaning off of oxytocin may have adverse effects. The experiment on prairie voles showed the voles were less likely to bond with females two weeks after the oxytocin ended.

So, while it may promote 'love' feelings initially, after the oxytocin was stopped, it appeared to drastically ‘go the other way’ and lessen those feelings.

Would you be willing to chance it?

Most surveyed say no… the fidelity had to come naturally~

No comments: