What Is Oxytocin And What It Does? What Causes It To Be Released?

If you want to know about oxytocin, what it is, its effects, and its causes, you are at the right place. In this article, we have tried to pen down everything related to oxytocin, and you may want to know.

What Really Is Oxytocin?

Oxytocin is a hormone produced in the human body. It is commonly known to play a role in cupid’s game. It is very closely connected to our social ties, particularly when we talk about people we love. This fact has led oxytocin to earn nicknames like ‘love hormone’ and ‘cuddle hormone’ as it releases upon activities like sexual encounters, snuggling up, and bonding with people. Most people think that this is the sole responsibility of oxytocin. However, oxytocin actually does much more than the fact that it is a fleeting chemical.

This hormone plays the function of a neurotransmitter in the brain. It is considered as a driving force behind emotions like attraction and caregiving. Moreover, it also responsible for carrying out the processes in the reproductive system, childbirth, and lactation.

Along with all these processes, some researchers have found that oxytocin can also enhance feelings of jealousy, suspicion, and hate speech. The effects of oxytocin depend entirely on the situations in which it is released.

Another study was presented by Robert C. Froemke, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at New York University. According to him, we cannot call oxytocin a ‘trust hormone’ or a ‘drug hormone’ as there no such thing biologically. Oxytocin releases during situations like social contact and gaze, mother-infant bonding and birth, and other such cases. The result of the study showed that oxytocin isn’t only responsible for pleasing people. Instead, it acts to boost the feelings related to whatever the person is already going through. This part of the study is crucial for people to know.

Effects of Oxytocin

On Brain:

Despite these mixed signals, oxytocin plays an undeniably important role in establishing and maintaining relationships. And it all begins in one place: the brain. Once the hypothalamus produces oxytocin, it’s secreted into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland. The bloodstream flows into your spinal cord or other parts of the brain, depending on its ultimate purpose.

Once oxytocin releases into our brains, it has the ability to control our impulsive responses and social behaviors like trust, compassion, eyeing, memories, bonding, and communication.

All thanks to oxytocin, we always are at peace once we’re with the people we care for. Also, the more we reserve in these good behaviors, the more oxytocin will produce. And it may even become addictive.

On Mood:

Although oxytocin is associated with passionate and empathetic feelings and is known to lower anxiety and stress, it is not always true. A study showed that high levels of oxytocin and cortisol among women lacked social connections and had antagonistic relations with their partners. According to a theory, oxytocin actually impacts our mood depending on the context of feelings and surroundings.

On Relationships:

Oxytocin has significant effects on bonding between people, like parent-child relationships. Studies have shown that fathers are less likely to exhibit the effects of oxytocin. In contrast, mothers with high levels of oxytocin tend to be more affectionate towards their children. They are seen to be frequently involved in checking their kids, spending time with them, enhancing their communication with their children, etc. As a result, the level of oxytocin in children also boosts, and the bond becomes stronger. Similar effects of oxytocin are observed in the adoptive parents.

Some experts recommend that oxytocin also affects fidelity. Pieces of research have proven that oxytocin’s impact on reward tracks builds an emphatic behavior loop for involving in social and sexual encounters with a trustworthy and committed partner.

Difference of Oxytocin in Men and Women:

Women usually produce more oxytocin than men. One of the reasons behind it is that oxytocin is one of the essential hormones involved in childbirth and breastfeeding. Other than that, men and women experience oxytocin in the same ways as it helps create bonding with children, induces romance, and plays a vital role in reproduction.

However, there are some differences in oxytocin experiences in both. Numerous pieces of research have found that oxytocin enhances the capability to distinguish competitive relations and navigate their response in men, whereas it is not present in women. Alternately, oxytocin serves to reinforce sentiments of kinship. The reason behind this fact is that oxytocin behaves uniquely in the male and female amygdala, which is the part of the brain that is liable for emotion and behavior.

What Causes Oxytocin To Release?

The most significant cause of oxytocin production is another person. Oxytocin requires another person (child, partner, friends, family, etc.) to be released. Although oxytocin production is usually associated with social or physical contact, a study (on chimpanzees) shows sharing a meal also triggers it to release. Below is a list of the common triggers of oxytocin release:

● Optimistic physical contact such as hugging, cuddling, holding hands, kissing, etc.

● A social connection such as conversating, making eye contact, laughing, etc.

● Sexual encounters

● Delivering a baby

● Breastfeeding