Can Oxytocin Change Mean People To Nice?

Having more oxytocin receptors in the brain might be the key difference between mean people and nice ones.

In a study published in Biology Letters, researchers analyzed seven different closely related lemur species, noting which ones were egalitarian, which ones were male dominant, and which ones were female dominant. While the animal kingdom has many examples of male dominance, the females of some lemur species “wield significant social control, often imposing their will through overt aggression”. For example, females of the blue-eyed black lemurs species slap, bite, and chase males to get their way; getting first access to food and securing the prime resting spots. On the other hand, species like the collared lemurs are more egalitarian, with males and females sharing equal status.

Using an imaging technique called autoradiography, the researchers found the key difference between the female-dominant and the egalitarian species was in the amygdala, a region of the brain typically associated with emotions such as fear, anxiety, and anger. The egalitarian species had more oxytocin receptors, essentially giving them more targets for oxytocin to act on. Oxytocin is the so-called “love hormone”; known for its roles in social bonding, reproduction, and childbirth.

The pattern held up for both sexes, suggesting that “egalitarian species achieved gender parity by becoming less aggressive towards others overall, rather than males ramping up their aggression to match their female counterparts.”  In other words, lemurs with more oxytocin receptors are nicer than ones with less.

The potential implications go well beyond lemurs. Issues with oxytocin signaling in brain receptors have been linked to a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions, including aggression, personality disorders, and autism spectrum disorders. If a solid correlation can be established between the brain’s neurochemical processes and social behavior, science can make significant progress towards understanding – and potentially treating – social dysfunctions.

In the meantime, it does seem likely that more oxytocin can change mean lemurs and mean people into nicer ones.