Oxytocin: a determining hormone in our emotional relationships

Oxytocin has several functions, many of which we still do not know precisely.. It is known, for example, that it is she who connects us with others, who injects us with that force that gives shape to affection, reproduction and breastfeeding, love in all its forms and nuances. She is the one who induces labor and shapes life in capital letters.

Studies on this tiny organic molecule, which acts as a hormone and neurotransmitter, continue to be carried out. Some time ago, and as a curious fact, the scientific magazine Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience showed the role that oxytocin can play on a mental level when it comes to promoting relaxation, calm and those processes that are launched, for example, with meditation.

To put it another way: oxytocin not only connects us with others, it also favors those psychological and emotional mechanisms that help us connect better with ourselves, in search of our internal balance. Having outlined some of its functions and recognized its importance, we are going to try to learn a little more about this incredible hormone: oxytocin.

What is oxytocin

It is an oligopeptide composed of nine amino acids. It is produced in the hypothalamus and then stored and released through the posterior pituitary gland.

Depending on the part of the body in which it has an effect, it can be considered a hormone (when it travels to target organs through the blood) or a neurotransmitter, if it mediates communication between neurons.

When it operates as a hormone, it has two target organs: the mammary glands and the uterus.. By acting on the mammary glands, it stimulates the ejection of milk. On the other hand, it is responsible for the uterine contractions that make childbirth possible.

As a neurotransmitter, it acts on the vegetative nervous system, specifically, on the relaxation and placidity mechanisms of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).. It is also involved in empathy, as it is secreted during interaction with other human beings.

Functions of oxytocin

In the human body, this hormone and neurotransmitter has different tasks and affects different organic processes. Below we present some of its most notable functions and interventions

1. Promotes social and loving bonds

Oxytocin was discovered at the beginning of the last century and was artificially synthesized by the biochemist Vincent Du Vigneaud in 1953. From then on, This compound, of power and significance in our brain, began to be the focus of analysis in microscopes and in the laboratories: the objective was to identify the role it played in such important sections of our lives as our social relationships.

Now We know that this chemical is the engine that ignites and shapes much of our prosocial behaviors.such as empathy, trust, friendship, generosity or altruism.

Its role in emotional relationships

Now, given these characteristics, There are many who assume that oxytocin is responsible for romantic bonds, so intense and significant, in a relationship.

When we are in love and feel that more intense, chaotic and almost obsessive passion, oxytocin acts as a great disinhibitor. Scientists say that what this hormone causes in our neural circuits is similar to what alcohol causes.

Oxytocin encourages us to take risks, to trust ourselves and not see the possible dangers or implications that this relationship may have, even if it is harmful. There are many who recognize that this effect has a somewhat “dark” side to oxytocin, but it still gives rise to a fascinating nuance.

Modulates sexual behavior

2. Facilitates parenting and a sense of group belonging

Its name as “attachment hormone” is not coincidental, since oxytocin is essential in the development of social bonds and early parenting. In fact, it works in both directions: parents secrete it to stimulate parental care behavior and children secrete it to strengthen the bond and even stimulate growth hormone.

This molecule is also important among adults. It is released in large quantities when linked to a membership group. When you hug your friends and feel like they are hugging you, it is because this hormone is acting in your body.

Oxytocin is the humanistic hormone par excellencein which more complex processes of exchange intervene and which in a certain way shapes the social character of each human being.

3. Promotes the creation of new neural connections

A team of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children Hospital They made an interesting discovery. Oxytocin promotes the creation of new neuronal connections and could even promote the repair of damaged brain tissue.

The study, published in the journal Genes & Development, sought to discover which molecules allow us to create new neurons, as well as connections in the brain. Although those responsible for this work point out that much more depth is needed, for now it seems that oxytocin is that multipurpose molecule that mediates brain plasticity.

The researchers found that “oxytocin receptor signaling promotes synaptic maturation of newly integrated adult neurons by regulating their morphological development. Thus, they were able to show an oxytocin-dependent mechanism for the development of synapses and the integration of neuronal circuits.

4. Contributes to social and environmental recognition

Likewise, an aspect that is as interesting as it is valuable is currently being delved deeper into. lOxytocin increases our attention to social and emotional information in our environment. It guides us towards certain stimuli to process them as meaningful and to be able to remember, interpret and process them.

Once again that “connection” appears, that force that invites us to connect with what surrounds us to feel like participants, to be part of the whole. Oxytocin is important for social memory, which is the ability to recognize other individuals and remember information about them. This is essential to create and maintain social relationships.

5. Facilitates childbirth and breastfeeding

Oxytocin is essential during labor, which is why it is sometimes administered to induce or accelerate labor. Research published in BMC pregnancy and childbirth found that oxytocin levels increase during pregnancy and the first and second stages of labor.

For its part, this hormone is also essential for breastfeeding. This is so, since, according to an article by Plos one, causes the ejection of milk and generates physiological changes that promote its production. In addition, it facilitates psychological adaptations to motherhood.

6. Promotes fidelity in men

A group of scientists wanted to study the role of oxytocin in maintaining monogamous relationships. In the research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, they administered oxytocin or a placebo to a group of heterosexual men.

After half an hour, the men were shown a woman who they would later describe as “seductive.” The woman had to move around the volunteers, while the participants were asked to indicate what they considered a “correct distance” or a “dangerous distance.”

The surprising result of the study

The experts discovered that the Married or partnered men who were administered oxytocin maintained a distance much greater when approached or seduced by the attractive stranger, compared to those who received a placebo.

However, oxytocin caused another astonishing result. It had no effect whatsoever on singles. Previous research with mice already identified this hormone as the key to fidelity in the animal species.

The new study makes it clear that oxytocin may have a similar role in humans. Oxytocin is known to increase confidence in people. For this reason, it was assumed that men under the influence of the hormone would become even closer to attractive women, but the opposite happened, explains Hurlemann.

Men in a stable relationship who were given oxytocin kept a greater distance from the woman than single men. In the latter, this hormone had no effect and they behaved feeling attracted to the seductive woman.

More effects of oxytocin

The effect of oxytocin on monogamous men caused them to feel nothing and even reject the beautiful woman. At times, many men even considered women unattractive, perhaps as a resource to maintain fidelity with their partner.

Scientists also realized that oxytocin had no effect on men if they were introduced to another male. This study suggests that The general function of oxytocin is the promotion of monogamous behavior that occurs in rodents and also in man.

Relationship with some disorders

Oxytocin, like any other hormone or neurotransmitter, requires minimum basal levels to guarantee the correct regulation of physiological and emotional processes. Therefore, its deficiency in the body is related to certain disorders, as indicated in an article published in the Harvard review of psychiatry.

autism spectrum disorder

For an autistic person, other human beings are alien to their own person. Of course, there are numerous degrees of autism, and the most pronounced cases can be found with the inability to perform actions such as speaking, or others who have the basic skills for social exchange.

Already in 1998 it was discovered that autistic children have a much lower concentration of oxytocin in plasma. Subsequently, administering this molecule nasally was demonstrated as an effective treatment to modulate social behavior.

Depression and social anxiety

Oxytocin inhibits the action of the amygdala, responsible for fear. In depressive and fear-related disorders (such as phobias or social anxiety), this brain structure is activated in an exacerbated and continuous manner, making emotional regulation difficult.

Again, administering oxytocin is helpful for those with these disorders. Because it reduces emotions of fear, people engage in more risky behaviors and feel more self-confident.

How to stimulate your production

We already know that oxytocin favors the creation of new neuronal connections. We are also clear that a low level of this component puts our health and brain power at risk. Therefore, Is there any way to facilitate the presence of said…