THE 'love hormone' oxytocin
may help keep straight men in relationships faithful by prompting them to steer
clear of hot women. Researchers from the University of Bonn in Germany found
that when men in monogamous relationships were given a dose of oxytocin nasal
spray, they kept a larger physical distance about four to six inches (or 10-15
centimeters) from attractive women they didn’t know compared to men who
received a placebo.
However for single men, the
oxytocin spray had no effect on the distance they kept between themselves and
the attractive women. The study involved 57 heterosexual men.
"Because oxytocin is
known to increase trust in people, we expected men under the influence of the
hormone to allow the female experimenter to come even closer, but the direct
opposite happened," says researcher Dr. Ren Hurlemann.
In humans, oxytocin has been
found to promote bonding between parents and their children and also reduce
conflict between couples.
MyHealthNewsDaily also cites
a recent study that found that couples with higher levels of oxytocin in the
beginning of their relationship were more likely to stick together than couples
with lower levels of the hormone.
The study is set to be
published in The Journal of Neuroscience. (Relaxnews)
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