Oxytocin is the dark and light side of the love hormone. Effects on the body of the hormone oxytocin, norm indicators and methods of increasing What stimulates the production of oxytocin

- a neuropeptide and a hormone that is responsible for social connections at an instinctive level. In a number of studies, scientists have found that oxytocin is released during positive contacts, such as:

• embrace;
• sexual intercourse;
• breastfeeding an infant.

Scientists have proven that the hormone also suppresses the feeling of fear and blocks panic. The increased content of the hormone helps to make decisions quickly in critical situations and gives confidence in one's own actions.

Interesting fact! Oxytocin increases altruism and influences generosity. During the experiment of Paul Zak in 2007, it was revealed that in the absence of xenophobia, people with an increased amount of the hormone show generosity. Participants in the experiment were more willing to help refugees in need.

Why is oxytocin called the "happiness hormone"?

• Empirically, scientists have found that the level of the hormone increases during orgasm in men and women. Numerous studies have proven the relationship between the human manifestation of trust, pleasure and excitement with the production of oxytocin.
• The hormone is involved in the formation of attitudes towards people, builds trust, affects the perception of each other mother and child in the postpartum period, generates attraction to the opposite sex and encourages tactile contacts.
• The concentration of the hormone increases intuitive abilities and helps to better perceive the attitude of others, and also causes a sense of trust in loved ones and anxiety for them.

History of the discovery of oxytocin

Adaptation in society

A sufficient amount of oxytocin helps a person to adapt more easily to a new society. This is due to increased trust and a friendly attitude.

Strengthening emotional memory

One of the functions of the hormone is associated with the storage of memories of pleasant moments and a state of emotional arousal. Due to the action of the substance, a person experiences the same emotions when remembering past events.

Impact on old muscles

The release of oxytocin stimulates the renewal of muscle cells. It rejuvenates the body and maintains health.

Protective functions

The hormone oxytocin increases your intuitive abilities, which helps you focus and take a defensive position in a timely manner.

The structural formula of Oxytocin is C43H66N12O12S2. Photo: Edgar181, wikipedia.org

Oxytocin and relationships

The debate on “Which Hormone Affects Relationships” boils down to the fact that oxytocin has a significant impact on people’s behavior. Violation of the production of the substance leads to indifference and apathy. This can cause family discord.

Children deprived of parental love and care:

• show detachment and isolation;
• worse adapt in society;
• show secrecy and a tendency to deceive.

Oxytocin is the hug hormone. Frequent manifestations of love and sincere hugs contribute to the release of substances from the pituitary gland and increase the adaptability of the child in society.

Hormone in the fight against autism

Treatment of autism with oxytocin has shown positive results in adults and children. There are improvements in the area of ​​emotional manifestation and suppression of autistic behavior. The impact of oxytocin on a person with autism is not well understood, so it is difficult to assess the possible risks.

Oxytocin in women

During the lactation period in women, the hormone oxytocin stimulates the contraction of myoepithelial cells. This helps the production of the hormone responsible for lactation. The substance enters the child's body from milk and stimulates the production of neuropeptides in the infant's pituitary gland. This gives the newborn a sense of security.

Interesting fact! Research by American scientists in 2014 showed that oxytocin affects the readiness for reproduction. A high concentration of the hormone increases the ability to orgasm, and increases the chances of pregnancy.

Stimulation of uterine contractions with oxytocin. The increased content of the hormone in the body of a woman stimulates the smooth muscles of the uterus and leads to a contraction. During the first weeks of breastfeeding, the release of oxytocin can cause pain during uterine contractions. This helps the placenta to heal in the uterus.

Oxytocin during childbirth

During childbirth, a hormone is released, which contributes to the appearance of contractions. Contractions of the uterus, under the influence of the substance, help the child to be born. A pronounced effect of the substance is observed in pregnant women and nursing the baby. The hormone oxytocin is responsible during childbirth for the following factors:

• uterine contractions and fetal expulsion;
• tribal activity.

Oxytocin after childbirth

• normal uterine tone;
• removal of lochia;
• the production of breast milk;
• emotional mood;
• mother's attachment to the child.

In addition, oxytocin is an attachment hormone that plays an important role in the lives of women and is responsible for the following aspects:

• feeling of peace of mind and comfort;
• sensuality during intercourse;
• trusting partnerships;
• care for offspring;
• social ties with the opposite sex;
• social connections.

What is the oxytocin reflex. Photo: dp3.ru, wikipedia.org

Oxytocin in men

What is the hormone oxytocin responsible for in men?

• Increased libido and testosterone release.
• perception of women and children.
• Fight against prostate cancer cells.
• Erection and seminal excretion.
• Emotional perception of a partner during intercourse.
• Eliminates stress.
• Lowers the critical assessment of others.

In sports, oxytocin is used to suppress cortisol, which leads to muscle growth, as well as to restore muscle tissue after a significant load.

Causes and consequences of a lack of oxytocin

• Violation of the synthesis of oxytocin in the hypothalamus.
• Low secretion from the pituitary gland.
• Action released at conception to maintain pregnancy.
• Menopause.
• stressful situations.
• Thyroid dysfunction.
• Autism.
• AIDS and HIV infection.
• Action of drugs.
• brain infections.

The consequences may consist in nervousness, detachment from society, isolation,.

Causes and consequences of increased levels of oxytocin

With an excess of the hormone, the following deviations are observed:

• sodium metabolism is disturbed and urination is reduced;
• the threat of miscarriage or premature birth in pregnant women;
• testosterone is suppressed in men;
• impaired memory and perception of information;
• suggestibility increases.

The cause of excess oxytocin can be:

• pregnancy and lactation;
• teamwork that brings satisfaction;
• a large number of friends with whom a person develops a trusting relationship;
• harmonious relations in the family, affection of spouses to each other and to children;
• healthy lifestyle and diet;
• regular sex;
• sports.

How to increase oxytocin

• You can stimulate the production of the hormone with the help of tactile contacts with loved ones. Its level rises with a handshake, hugs, a sense of moral support and mutual trust.
• The substance is actively produced during sexual intercourse, massage, stimulation of the genital organs and orgasm.
• Communication with animals increases the production of oxytocin.

What to include in your diet:

To increase the level of the hormone in the blood, nutritionists recommend adding the following foods to the diet:

• avocado;
• bananas;
• kiwi;
• pomegranate;
• chocolate;
• zucchini;
• squash;
• celery.

Instructions for use Oxytocin

Indications for the use of Oxytocin

Oxytocin in the form of a solution for injection is used in obstetrics and gynecology. The drug is prescribed to activate and stimulate labor in case of emergency:

• primary and secondary weakness;
• stimulation of premature resolution of labor according to indications;
• the need to exclude bleeding due to uterine hypotension;
• lack of milk after childbirth;
• pain during PMS (premenstrual syndrome), with swelling and weight gain.

Oxytocin. Photo: promedic.com.ua

Method of application of oxytocin, how much it works

The drug is administered as injections into a vein, muscle tissue, subcutaneously, into the wall or vaginal part of the cervix, as well as intranasally. One dose varies between 0.4-2 ml. If necessary, repeat every half an hour or an hour.

When the drug is injected into a vein, the result is observed after 0.5-1 minute. When injected into muscle tissue and under the skin after 1-2 minutes. Intranasal administration provides the action of oxytocin after a few minutes.

Side effects of oxytocin

• Bradycardia in a woman in labor and an infant.
• Change in blood pressure.
• Subarachnoid bleeding.
• Changes in heart rate in a woman in labor and a baby.
• Bronchodilatory spasm of the lungs.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Water withdrawal delay.
• neonatal jaundice.
• Decreased composition of fibrogen in a child.
• Allergy manifestations.

Contraindications of Oxytocin

• Hypersensitivity to the drug.
• Excessively narrow pelvis.
• Unacceptable position of the fetus.
• premature birth.
• Threat of uterine rupture.
• The presence of postoperative scars on the uterus.
• Not complete placenta previa.
• Uterine sepsis.
• Invasive carcinoma of the cervix.
• External hypertonicity of the uterus.
• Fetal compression.
• Arterial hypertension.
• Chronic renal failure.

The use of the drug oxytocin is allowed only after consulting a doctor, taking into account the recommended dosage.

Indications at childbirth for the administration of oxytocin

Oxytocin injections during childbirth are used in the following cases:

• when the fetus is overcarried, there is a risk of intoxication and aging of the placenta;
• when labor activity has not begun, and the waters have already departed;
• cessation of contractions;
• excessively low or high fetal weight;
• the presence of chronic pathologies in the mother;
• multiple pregnancy.

Oxytocin penetrates the smooth tissues of the uterus and stimulates contractions. This method of increasing labor activity is used in obstetrics if there are appropriate indications.

Why is oxytocin administered during childbirth:

• A hormone injection is administered to artificially induce labor. How much oxytocin to inject is calculated in such a way as to mimic the natural rate of cervical dilatation.
• Oxytocin is used for caesarean section by injecting it into the muscle tissue of the uterus to heal the scar.
• Oxytocin after childbirth is prescribed to exclude uterine bleeding after childbirth.
• After injections of oxytocin, there is also an abundant production of milk and an improvement in the relationship between mother and baby.

Oxytocin tablets are not available.

Ampoules of oxytocin. Photo: postlerodov.pro

Oxytocin for abortion

Doctors say that the hormone does not always give the desired effect. There are complications in the form of partial removal of the fetus and amniotic membrane. The advantages of the drug include availability and naturalness. Oxytocin is sold by prescription only.

Conclusion

The hormone oxytocin is released during certain stimuli, such as:

• teamwork;
• handshake;
• embrace;
• other tactile contacts;
• manifestation of trust.

To find out the level of oxytocin in the body, you need to take a blood test. Hormonal analysis will show the presence and content of the substance. Oxytocin is necessary to improve social adaptation. Controlling the level of the hormone in the blood will help you feel happy.

This substance increases the level of disposition and favor to other people, reduces anxiety, and contributes to the formation of mother's attachment to the baby. The concentration in the blood of this hormone is always at the same level, as a rule, it increases with a certain interaction with other people, with orgasm,.

The effect of the hormone oxytocin is most pronounced. The main functions of this substance is to stimulate the smooth muscles of the uterus, increase its contractile activity, influence the contractions of the cervix before and during childbirth. Oxytocin increases the production of the pituitary hormone prolactin, which affects milk production, increases blood clotting in the uterus to stop bleeding after childbirth, shrinks the cells located around the alveoli of the mammary glands, affecting the release of milk into the ducts.

At the end of the pregnancy period, oxytocin levels rise at night and decrease during the day, so childbirth often takes place at night.

Ways to Increase Oxytocin Levels

Scientists have found that oxytocin levels rise in both men and women during arousal and orgasm. The content of this hormone in the blood increases during hugs. Studies have shown that when the subjects held hands or lay next to each other, their oxytocin levels increased. It has been proven that in women who have a serious relationship, the level of oxytocin during the experiments increased more than in single women. As a result of research, scientists concluded that the secretion of the hormone is influenced by serious relationships.

An increase in the level of oxytocins is facilitated by friendly contacts with loved ones: a conversation with a friend over a cup of tea, games, activities with children, etc.

Oxytocin in the blood can be increased through exercise, which also affects the level of endorphins. Endorphins are associated with high self-esteem, good sex, these substances are great at blocking stress, which prevents you from enjoying relationships. Massage contributes to the increase in oxytocin, and the level of this hormone also increases in the person performing this massage. An important role is played by the frequency of strokes: 40 movements per minute are considered optimal. According to research, it is this frequency of strokes that is chosen instinctively, it is more pleasant for a person.

Ecology of health: Today the story will be about oxytocin. Today I will talk about the positive effect of oxytocin, which stimulates its production. Violations of the work of oxytocin in modern society have a wide variety of manifestations: from the collapse of social groups, communities and families with increasing aggression and alienation to the avoidance of social contacts (the hikikomori lifestyle in Japan and not only). The lack of oxytocin encourages people to join all sorts of closed, but close-knit communities.

Today we will talk about oxytocin. Today I will talk about the positive effect of oxytocin, which stimulates its production. We will not talk about the role of oxytocin in childbirth and feeding, but will focus on its psychological and social effects.

Violations of the work of oxytocin in modern society have a wide variety of manifestations: from the collapse of social groups, communities and families with increasing aggression and alienation to the avoidance of social contacts (the hikikomori lifestyle in Japan and not only). The lack of oxytocin encourages people to join all sorts of closed, but close-knit communities, often leading sectarian-radical activities.

Oxytocin plays an important role in a variety of conditions, such as during orgasm, social acceptance, couples bonding, anxiety, and maternal behavior. In this regard, this hormone is often called the "hormone of love." The inability to produce oxytocin and the inability of a person to empathize are associated with such concepts as sociopathy, psychopathy, narcissism.

The hormone of love and morality.

The main function of oxytocin is to unite and bind people into communities: a couple, a family, a group, a nation, etc., and to maintain a stable connection within this group. Therefore, oxytocin is also called the “molecule of high morality” or “binding hormone”.

Oxytocin is rapidly degraded within our body (three minute half-life), so its action depends on a constant stream of specific stimuli. The ability to put yourself in the place of another person directly depends on the level of oxytocin in the blood. This hormone takes an active part in the regulation of social behavior in mammals, including humans.

It is involved in the recognition of familiar individuals, forms trusting relationships, regulates the reliability of marital ties, etc. Oxytocin enhances the feeling of "we are relatives" next to people close to us. An increase in the level of oxytocin in the blood causes a person to feel satisfied, reduce fears and anxieties, a sense of trust and calm next to a partner.

Oxytocin sets off a chain reaction. Oxytocin allows us to experience empathy, and empathy promotes socially approved behavior, promotes trust, caring for other people, which in turn allows them to generate higher levels of oxytocin.

In addition to improving our psychological state, oxytocin improves our health. Maternal and conjugal love is associated with reduced risks of a wide range of illnesses, from sore throats to ulcers and from cardiovascular disease to alcoholism. This is confirmed even by studies involving animals. In the 1980s, American scientists set out to find out what effect diet had on the development of atherosclerosis in rabbits, and noticed that two identical groups showed significant differences in symptoms.

The groups were looked after by different laboratory assistants - the rest of the conditions of detention were absolutely identical. The experiment was repeated twice with different people and its results were published in one of the most respected scientific journals, Science. Rabbits treated "kindly" - regularly played with, talked to, petted - saw a 60 percent reduction in atherosclerosis symptoms, regardless of diet.

Stimuli for the release of oxytocin.

Your oxytocin minimum.

1. Physical contact.

Sex, hugs, strokes, whatever. Massage also contributes to an increase in oxytocin, and the level of this hormone also increases in the person performing this massage. An important role is played by the frequency of strokes: 40 movements per minute are considered optimal. According to research, it is this frequency of strokes that is chosen instinctively, it is more pleasant for a person. We need four hugs a day to survive, eight to keep ourselves fit, and twelve to grow.” A 20-second hug (or a 10-minute hand-hold) reduces the harmful physical effects of stress, including lowering blood pressure and heart rate.

2. Eye contact.

Meeting eyes, we actually establish a “brain-to-brain” contact: both participants know for sure that the interaction between their nervous systems is currently two-way. This reciprocity is the essence of any communication. It is well known that increasing blood levels of oxytocin increases our tendency to look people in the eye, which in turn improves mind reading and understanding of their emotions.

When we look into the eyes, it increases the production of oxytocin. And it works not only in humans, but also in dogs. When a dog makes eye contact with its owner, the owner's oxytocin levels increase, prompting affection and care, which in turn increases the oxytocin level in the dog, which will make him look even more loyally.

The same positive feedback is involved in the formation of mutual attachment between mother and child. The fact that there is no such connection between tame wolves and their owners suggests that the tendency to make eye contact with a person, thereby causing him to release oxytocin and stimulate attachment, developed in dogs during the process of domestication, and was not inherited from wild animals. ancestors. It is possible that this tendency was an adaptation that increased the adaptability of the ancestors of today's dogs to life among people.

Professor of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Strasbourg, Director of the Laboratory for Therapeutic Innovations Marcel Ibert gave a lecture on the "Chemistry of Love" at the Afisha Picnic. Slon publishes an abridged version of this lecture.

I am a chemist, developing various drugs, such serious things as the fight against cancer, against aging. But one day I thought about the chemical component of love. We study stress, diseases - what happens in a person during love, what chemical processes?

To begin with, I asked myself: what is love? I used to approach the subject of my research thoroughly. If you ask yourself what, for example, cancer is, you will find a clear definition of cancer, a detailed classification of its types. But when we began to find out what love is, and tried to raise scientific literature on this topic, we did not find anything at all. That is, in the field of science, no one has dealt with this issue at all. And we had to read philosophers and poets in order to somehow define this concept. We know that the word "love" has many meanings - love can be maternal, brotherly, it can be a need, or it can be a gift. Sometimes love is a pure drug, a heavy addiction. Passion, tenderness, dependence - a variety of phenomena are called love.

Even the ancient Greeks divided love into types. They identified seven types of love, but let's not go too deep, consider three: eros, philia and agape. Eros is love-passion, it is lust, the need to possess another person. Eros is never happy - yes, lust can be satisfied now, but then it arises again. Filia is a completely different type of love, such love is happiness. You rejoice when you see another person, you like to drink tea with him or do something together. Agape is closer to mercy, it is love without passion, it is sympathy, compassion, the need to help another. Human behavior, depending on the type of love, of course, is very different. And if you read love poems from this point of view, you will see how different they are.

Let's say we have a little decided on what we call love. Now let's define what is a person? 70 percent water, 3-4 kilograms of bones, everything else is organic, molecules. Man is a big bag of molecules. Everything that happens within us is molecular in nature. Life is the interaction of molecules. For many hundreds of years, humans have been studied at the organ level. At the beginning of the 20th century, we moved to the cellular level, and in the last fifty years, to the molecular level. I think it will take another twenty years to finally understand how a person works.

By manipulating the amount of oxytocin, you can completely change the behavior

We owe a significant breakthrough in the study of emotions to the neuroscientist and pharmacologist Thomas Insel, now director of the US National Institute of Mental Health. Insel studied the behavior of mice - he was interested in the relationship between mother, father, mice. He was especially interested in anxiety in mice, because he worked on drugs to mitigate anxiety, anxiolytics. If he tore the mouse away from the mother, the mouse began to squeak and rush about. Insel gave the mouse anxiolytics, and the mouse calmed down. So they spent time with mice.

Once, it was in 2000, Insel was told about some very strange rats, interesting for their monogamy, which is not typical for rats. These rats formed pairs for life, raised their young together and were an example of amazing care for each other. What is especially interesting, other rats lived next to the same rats, and everything was much less romantic for them - they mated with anyone and did not particularly care for their offspring. The good rats lived under the mountain, and the bad ones lived on the mountain. At the same time, the rats belonged to the same species, they did not seem to differ in anything.

Insel, of course, became very interested in both rats and began to study them. How exactly did he study them: he caught rats both on the mountain and under the mountain, took samples from them, began to study these tests in his laboratory. He compared the samples of good and bad rats, trying to find the difference at the molecular level. But everything was the same. He struggled for a long time and finally discovered the difference in the amount of two hormones, vasopressin and oxytocin. Good-behaving rats had high levels of oxytocin, while bad-behaving rats had low levels.

Insel went further: he injected the bad rats with oxytocin. And what: these dissolute rats, who were not at all interested in their offspring, became faithful spouses and wonderful parents. Continuing the experiment, Insel blocked oxytocin in good rats - and faithful spouses and wonderful parents deteriorated in every way, they immediately turned into dissolute and indifferent. It turned out that by manipulating the amount of oxytocin, you can completely change the behavior of these animals. Maternal love, paternal love, monogamy and polygamy - it turned out that all this depends on some kind of molecule. Just one hormone - and the terrible becomes beautiful and vice versa. We are used to treating maternal love as the most sublime thing in the world, and what we see: we introduce a molecule - there is love, we block the molecule - there is no love.

High levels of oxytocin make females fearless

Vasopressin and oxytocin are very simple molecules, small peptides, you can easily create them yourself even in a garage. What is characteristic is that in all types of living organisms these hormones were invariably found, that is, they are fundamentally important for evolution. Interestingly, oxytocin has been studied before - this is the hormone that is produced during pregnancy starting from about the fifth or sixth month, it is thanks to it that women have milk. A woman - like any mammal - releases this hormone in large quantities at the time of childbirth. If labor is delayed, doctors use this hormone to speed up labor - and as such, it has been well studied. The importance of oxytocin for childbirth and breastfeeding has been known for fifty years. But in the last ten years, it has become clear that we underestimated this hormone, and much more depends on it.

In Israel, they recently conducted a large-scale study of women who had recently given birth. And what turned out? Women with high levels of oxytocin had excellent relationships with newborns, complete harmony and mutual understanding. Women with a lack of oxytocin had problems with feeding babies, and with mutual understanding - they were all more nervous and tense. What happens to fathers in this situation? If a woman produces oxytocin, then a man, watching her, becomes empathically infected with this and also begins to produce it. If a close empathic connection is established between a woman and a man, they together produce oxytocin and become wonderful caring parents.

We also found out that a high level of oxytocin makes females fearless - they are not afraid of anything at all, they are ready for anything to protect their cubs. And if there is not enough oxytocin, there are much more fears. Fear of dogs, for example, usually indicates a lack of oxytocin.

The period of postpartum depression is accompanied by a sharp drop in oxytocin - as soon as its level levels off, depression goes away. But if for some reason its level does not even out, depression can drag on for months and even years.

When a baby drinks mother's milk, he receives his dose of oxytocin along with milk. And it acts on him like ecstasy - it is a kind of drug, it is very pleasant for a child to eat milk. Therefore, babies want to eat as often as possible - they really like the process itself, milk makes them happy. When everything goes well, the mother produces oxytocin with feeding for herself, and feeding becomes a pleasure for both. This is not just a pleasure, but also a guarantee of future harmonious relationships, strong affection. The end of breastfeeding can be very painful for both mother and baby - it can even feel like a drug withdrawal because both stop getting their usual dose of oxytocin.

“I'm sorry, but it's not my fault, I'm just biologically arranged that way”

We studied more than five hundred adult men - we tried to select men who, from generation to generation, are distinguished by fidelity and care for children, and men who themselves grew up without fathers and continue the same line with their own children. And we managed to isolate the gene that is responsible for stable relationships - in faithful men, the chain of this gene is much longer than in unfaithful men.

With mice, we went further - we transplanted the correct gene into the wrong mice and achieved amazing results. Mother-mouse, who left her newborn children to the mercy of fate, returned to them and began to take care of them, showing miracles of selflessness. With humans, we do not yet dare to experiment in this way. But in any case, I can please those young people who cannot be faithful to their girlfriends. Now you have an excuse - you can say: "I'm sorry, but it's not my fault, I'm just biologically designed that way."

Of course, genes are not everything. Genes give us a predisposition - but there is upbringing, traditions, lifestyle, culture, experience, and all this seriously changes our personality. And we find people without a genetic predisposition to fidelity who nevertheless manage to be wonderful spouses and parents.

How is oxytocin produced? Look at the other person with tenderness and that person will begin to release oxytocin. Pet him - oxytocin will increase. Kiss him - oxytocin will be even more. If you have a person in front of you with whom you want to commit yourself for a long time, hug and kiss him as often as possible. But be careful with hugs and kisses, if you do not want excessive affection and closeness - the oxytocin produced can take your partner far.

During sex and especially orgasm, oxytocin is produced in huge amounts, and this works for your connection. With the same partner, this works for several years - and then, as a rule, quietly disappears. Why? Nature believes that about three years is enough for a woman to become pregnant and for the baby to grow up a little. They say passion is blind. Yes, but she is blind for six months, a year, a maximum of three years - in order for the couple to continue to exist further, something more is needed than naked attraction. Oxytocin is a drug, and this is not enough for life.

What will happen if we get the ability to control love?

Oxytocin controls not only relationships within the family, but also relationships in society - if a child has little oxytocin, he cannot fully contact with others. He has too many fears and becomes autistic. An experiment was conducted - autistic children were given oxytocin, and they began to look people in the eye. Usually they do not look others in the eye, but turn away, look away. Oxytocin is responsible for trust, for sympathy for others.

We conducted an experiment with two groups of students - one was given oxytocin to breathe, the other was not, and both groups were asked to borrow money by strangers. 80% percent of the members of the oxytocin group gave money. In the group without oxytocin, not a single person wanted to give money. That is, oxytocin helps to establish bonds between people. Without it, loving your neighbors, and even more so those far away, becomes much more difficult. Volunteers of charitable organizations were studied - predictably it turned out that they were all right with oxytocin.

Of course, culture and upbringing are extremely important. But it is impossible not to take into account the molecular mechanisms of a person, his genetic predispositions. Probably, if you live in the mountains in Switzerland, a chronic lack of oxytocin in you may not result in anxiety and depression. But if the circumstances of your life are conducive to being often and very nervous - if, God forbid, you lose loved ones or get into an accident - your predispositions can play a bad role.

The question arises, can such molecular research be harmful, is it worth continuing? What will happen if we get the ability to control love? This idea seems dangerous, so we get to the invention of the love potion. Yes, work on anti-anxiety drugs seems to be extremely useful, but how to avoid illicit manipulation of people? But this is an eternal question. Man tamed fire because fire is heat. But a fire with careless handling is a fire.

Oxytocin is already on sale, and it's no secret, it's easy to buy online. I consider it my duty to warn you that if you are going to use it, then buy it in the form of a nasal spray - it does not make sense to take it inside, it must be inhaled into the nostrils. If it seems to you that he will help you in your love affairs, well, maybe. But we understand that love is not limited to hormones and genetics. And you can definitely treat each other with tenderness, hug and kiss each other without thinking about what kind of molecular mechanisms drive you.

Р.S.: Yes, it wasn’t there ....

However, conflicting reports began to come in a few years ago. Israeli scientists have found that Oxytocin increases not only trust and generosity, but also envy and gloating. When the subjects gambled, those who inhaled the hormone were more overtly happy about their opponent's defeat. When they lost, they were also more jealous of the winner. So oxytocin can provoke ambiguous feelings.

And that is not all. The hormone affects different people in very different ways. Yes, oxytocin helps some people better read the emotions of others, but only for those who themselves are not particularly competent in this area. And for those who are anxious and afraid to make a bad impression, oxytocin generally reduces the level of trust and the tendency to interact. And memories of the past under the influence of oxytocin are stained differently. Those who have a good relationship with their mothers, under the influence of the hormone, talk about them with special love, and those who experience difficulties in communicating with people, on the contrary, recall that their mothers were aloof and cold.

Is it about the environment?

Another discovery - the effect of oxytocin depends on who the person communicates with. Belgian scientists from the University of Antwerp found that the willingness to make contact under the influence of the hormone increases only when the subject knows something about the partner. When paired with a stranger, a person becomes less sociable. And Dutch researchers found that those who sniffed oxytocin are more friendly with their compatriots, but not with people of other nationalities.

Dutch men treated people with Dutch names well, but not with German or Arabic ones. That is, oxytocin causes a desire to care for and protect, to protect members of their circle from external dangers. It's like the effect of a mother bear protecting her cubs and being dangerous to her enemies. In other words, oxytocin does not make a person abstractly good; on the contrary, it reinforces prejudice.

These subtleties were visible from the very beginning. Nearly half of the studies indicated that oxytocin only affects some people, or only under certain circumstances. But the trend was such that such results were ignored, and now they are looked at in a new way.

There are now several hypotheses about the role of oxytocin in human behavior, and they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Oxytocin can decrease anxiety and fear. Or it can motivate people to communicate, hence the increase in trust and propensity to interact, and within this view it is quite logical that under the influence of oxytocin a person prefers to communicate with those who are similar to him. At the same time, people who are preoccupied with the impression they make on others do not feel better under the influence of the hormone.

Another hypothesis is that oxytocin acts as a spotlight that highlights changes that are significant for communication - body position, eye expression, voice timbre. That is why people under the influence of this hormone look more closely at the interlocutors and understand them better. emotional condition. For autistic sufferers whose interactions with others are difficult due to their illness, oxytocin is beneficial because it allows them to become aware of these subtle signs. And for people who are overly anxious, things can get worse, as they tend to attribute the worst possible interpretation to other people's gestures and intonations. People can become more compassionate and helpful to others, but they can also become more vigilant and competitive. It all depends on the individual characteristics of communication partners.

Perhaps it should not be surprising that views on the role of oxytocin have become even more controversial. This hormone is found in almost all living creatures - from octopuses to sheep. Its history spans half a billion years. It is a very ancient and simple molecule that has found applications in processes ranging from lactation to social behavior. It works on the base parts. brain, such as the amygdala, that is, the influence will be traced in almost all aspects of human behavior. Oxytocin is involved in the regulation of basic human functions, but when you add in our intelligence, complex behavioral patterns, and social paradigms, these basic functions can be expressed in very different ways, depending on individual differences and context.

According to the level of oxytocin in the blood, one can confidently speak about a person’s propensity for fidelity and readiness to become attached in close relationships. In one study, at an ordinary wedding in England, blood samples were taken from newlyweds and their relatives before the couple made their marriage vows. It turned out that the greatest release of oxytocin was observed in the bride, in second place was her mother. On the third - the father of the groom, and only then the groom himself and the guests.

This was told at a lecture in Moscow by the American scientist Paul ZAK, director of the Center for Neuroeconomic Research at the Claremont University of Postgraduate Education.

It's curious that oxytocin is good for treating autism: both children and adults with autism, after treatment with oxytocin, became not only more emotional themselves, but also better understand and recognize the emotions of other people (Jacob S, Brune CW, Carter CS, Leventhal BL, Lord C, Cook EH (April 2007) Association of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) in Caucasian children and adolescents with autism Neuroscience Letters 417 (1): 6–9 DOI:10.1016/j.neulet.2007.02.001 PMID 17383819.

It turned out that oxytocin reduces anxiety levels, improves the state of the nervous and cardiac systems, so people with high levels of oxytocin live healthier and longer lives. And if we add here that oxytocinstimulates the production of endorphins, hormones of happiness, it seems to be a very important hormone for all of us!

And - what to do? How to increase the level of oxytocin in the blood?

In everyday social interactions, an increase in the level of oxytocin between people occurs with any friendly contact: a handshake, touching a hand or shoulder, cuddling, massage, or just stroking. You can just get a dog - in a relationship with her, oxytocin is generated in the same way. Nutrition matters a little: bananas and avocados will be on your side.

More important and more interesting, it turns out that oxytocin is produced during any collective action where people feel some commonality among themselves: soldiers during a march, at parties during dances, in a church for a common prayer, during group sports or joint singing. All three components are important here: objective collective interaction, an inner sense of community and the emotional brightness of what is happening.

The brighter the emotions and the closer the interaction, the more oxytocin. The strongest bursts of oxytocin occur during intense sex and orgasm experiences, both in women and in men.

If it is important for you that your children are loved by you, then look at childbirth and feeding a child differently. The strongest injections of oxytocin in them occur during childbirth and with each breastfeeding. The presence of a father during childbirth also triggers the production of oxytocin in his blood and increases attachment to both his wife and children.

It is clear that the most effective way is to inject oxytocin directly into yourself: drip oxytocin into your nose or spray it with a nose spray. However, this is hardly the best recipe, and not only because it will only give a short-term effect. Yes, the oxytocin molecule itself does not live long, disappearing after only three minutes.

It is more important to take care of such a lifestyle that oxytocin is produced naturally in you. Namely, the simplest and most effective thing here is to cultivate the habit of thinking well about people and showing concern for people, especially for close people.

Hugs, kisses, walking by the hand, long conversations and eye contact - all these things, so understandable and close to loving people, from a physiological point of view, contribute to the injection of oxytocin into the blood and thereby further strengthen your relationship.

Recall that a positive effect will occur only in the direction of close relationships, and if these relationships are good. If you are married (married), but the relationship between you is problematic, then long conversations will most likely not help you. ​

And remember the main thing: while hormones affect our behavior, we influence our hormones with our behavior. Yes, oxytocin helps us treat people with care, with trust and love, but if we want to have more oxytocin, we need to start by treating people with care, with trust and love.