Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Psychopharmacology

Oxytocin makes people trusting, but not gullible

by Association for Psychological Science
August 24, 2010
in Psychopharmacology

[Subscribe to PsyPost Premium to enjoy an ad-free experience! Click here to sign up.]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Oxytocin moleculeOxytocin (OT) is a hormone that plays an important role in social behavior—it has even been nicknamed “the love hormone” and “liquid trust.” Increased levels of OT have been associated with greater caring, generosity, and trust. But does OT increase people’s trust in just anybody or does it act more selectively?

Psychological scientist Moïra Mikolajczak from the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium) and her colleagues investigated just how trusting OT can make us. In this experiment, volunteers received either a placebo or OT nasal spray. Then, they played a trust game in which they received a certain amount of money which they could share with a partner (any amount shared with the partner would then triple). The partner then decides what to do the money—they can keep it all for themselves or split the amount with the giver. If the volunteer is trusting, they will share more money with their partner (in the hopes of having some of it returned to them) than volunteers who are not as trusting. The participants played the trust game against a computer and virtual partners (which were supposedly in another room), some of whom appeared reliable (they seemed likely to share the money with the participants) and some of whom appeared unreliable (they seemed likely to keep the money for themselves).

The results, reported in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, showed that volunteers who received the OT nasal spray were more trusting of the computer and the reliable partners—that is, they offered more money to the computer and the reliable partner than did volunteers who received the placebo nasal spray. However, OT did not have an effect when it came to sharing with a seemingly unreliable partner—the volunteers were not generous towards a potentially unreliable partner, regardless of which nasal spray they received.

These findings suggest that OT fosters trust, but not gullibility: OT may make individuals more trusting, but only in certain situations. The authors conclude that “oxytocin is not the magical ‘trust elixir’ described in the news, on the Internet, or even by some influential researchers.”

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePinSend
Previous Post

Cognitive behavioral therapy appears beneficial for adults with ADHD

Next Post

Mama wears Prada: Ovulating women buy sexier clothing

STAY CONNECTED

Find these awesome psychology shirts and more at the PsyPost Store!

TRENDING

New psychology research pinpoints personality traits related to wealth accumulation

New study examines how parental phubbing behavior fuels cell phone addiction in junior high school students

Study finds meditation retreats can lead to profound changes in consciousness

Subjective age bias: Psychologists uncover a fascinating historical trend

The role of nightmare distress in adolescents with psychiatric disorders

Landmark study challenges century-old neuroscience paradigm: Brain shape might trump connectivity

RECENT

Did Donald Trump influence bias-based bullying in schools?

Brief online art viewing can reduce negative mood and anxiety

Study finds meditation retreats can lead to profound changes in consciousness

Psychology experiment reveals the impact of anxious nonverbal behavior on job interview ratings

New study highlights the important role of psychological distance on embarrassment

Climate change trauma has real impacts on cognition and the brain, wildfire survivors study shows

Unemployed individuals who have used classic psychedelics report more symptoms of psychological distress

New study examines how parental phubbing behavior fuels cell phone addiction in junior high school students

Currently Playing

New psychology research reveals the “bullshit blind spot”

New psychology research reveals the “bullshit blind spot”

New psychology research reveals the “bullshit blind spot”

Cognitive Science
Higher prenatal testosterone exposure is linked to Machiavellianism and psychopathy, study suggests

Higher prenatal testosterone exposure is linked to Machiavellianism and psychopathy, study suggests

Dark Triad
New study identifies perceived mattering as a core psychological component of happy marriages

New study identifies perceived mattering as a core psychological component of happy marriages

Relationships and Sexual Health
Childhood adversity associated with increased emotional response to others’ suffering in adulthood

Childhood adversity associated with increased emotional response to others’ suffering in adulthood

Mental Health
New study sheds light on cognitive mechanisms linked to hypnosis

Chronic intake of refined carbohydrates between meals is associated with decreased cognitive performance, study finds

Cognitive Science
Mindfulness might hinder prosocial behavior among individuals with high intelligence

Mindfulness might hinder prosocial behavior among individuals with high intelligence

Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.