[acb-hsp] The Importance of the "Cuddle Hormone"

[peter altschul]

Wondering if Your Relationship Will Last? Why Your Levels of the 
'Cuddle Hormone' May Be the Decider
  Ron Jacobs, Miller-McCuneddcom February 21, 2012
  There's nothing like the bliss of a new romance.  And yet, many 
experiencing such rapture find it disrupted by a nagging 
question: How do we know our love will last? Newly published 
research suggests a possible answer: Get your oxytocin levels 
checked.
  A team of researchers led by Ruth Feldman of the Gonda Brain 
Sciences Center of Israel's Bar-Ilan University have just 
published a study examining the role oxytocin, commonly called 
the "cuddle hormone" plays in the early stages of romantic 
relationships.  While differentiating cause and effect is tricky, 
the researchers find a strong link between lasting relationships 
and high levels of the hormone.
  Oxytocin, as they note in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, 
promotes trust, bonding and attachment b between adults, and 
between parents and their offspring.  (Less appealingly, it can 
also promote ethnocentrism.
  Feldman's study featured 163 people in their early to mid-20's, 
120 of whom had recently initiated a love affair.  (On average, 
their relationship had begun 2.5 months prior to testing.) All 
had their blood tested for oxytocin levels.
  "New lovers had substantially higher plasma levels of oxytocin, 
as compared to non-attached singles," the researchers report.  
"These findings are consistent with those reported for other 
mammals, particularly monogamous rodent species in which oxytocin 
has shown to play a critical role in the formation of pair 
bonds."
  Since they didn't measure oxytocin levels before the 
relationships began, Feldman and her colleagues can't say for 
certain whether they increased during the romantic bonding 
process, or whether "individuals with high levels of oxytocin are 
more likely to fall in love."
  Six months later, the researchers located 54 of the 60 couples 
and retested the 36 who were still together.  Their oxytocin 
levels were still at the same high level, which either explains 
or reflects the fact they were still happily bonded.
  Perhaps the most striking finding: "Couples who stayed together 
showed higher oxytocin levels at the initial period of romantic 
attachment" than those who broke up.  "These findings suggest 
that oxytocin in the first months of romantic love may serve as 
an index of relationship duration," the researchers write.
  This brings to mind the intriguing possibility of 
oxytocin-enhanced relationship repair -- couples counseling 
augmented by hormone injections.  In previous studies, raising 
people's oxytocin level (via nasal spray) "was found to increase 
bonding-related behavior, including ...  trust and empathy," the 
researchers note.
  That said, the study raises a chicken-and-egg question, since 
it isn't clear whether high oxytocin levels lead to more 
closeness or whether romantic behavior increases oxytocin levels.
  During their initial testing, the lovers were interviewed about 
their relationship and observed while talking together.  The 
researchers found a correlation between oxytocin levels and their 
level of "interactive reciprocity" -- which is to say, their 
responsiveness to one another and tendency to engage in 
affectionate touching.
  "Oxytocin is known to function as a bio-behavioral feedback 
loop," the researchers note, adding that "research in mammals 
showed that more touch and contact increased oxytocin receptor 
density." This suggests loving couples may get into a positive 
routine in which "higher levels of reciprocity and touch" allow 
them to maintain elevated oxytocin levels, sustaining their 
feeling of emotional connection.
  So couples may not need artificial administrations of the 
cuddle hormone; they may just need to cuddle.
  ininB plus Alterationet Mobile Edition