The release of oxytocin in response to human touch depends on who is touching it and in what order. Linköping University reports.
Previous animal studies have shown that the “feel-good hormone” oxytocin is associated with touch and social bonding. However, much remains unclear about the role of oxytocin in human social interactions and how this hormone might affect the brain.
India Morrison and colleagues conducted an experiment involving 42 women. The experiment involved the woman stroking her male partner’s hand while her brain activity was monitored using fMRI. In addition, during the experiments, the woman’s blood was taken several times for analysis. In half the experiments, the partner first stroked his hand, and after that – an unfamiliar, non-threatening man. In the other half of the experiments, the order was reversed. Participating women were informed about whose hand was caressed.
It turned out that when the partner first touched the hand, the oxytocin level rose, then fell, but rose again with the touch of a stranger. But if the men reverse and a stranger touches the woman first, her oxytocin levels won’t rise. Subsequent touching of the partner leads to hormone production, but much less compared to the first experiment.
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