Oxytocin: The Love Hormone or Something More?

An article that makes us question whether the role of oxytocin is as understood as we first thought.

When we think about what makes us love each other, tend and befriend, cope with stress, and even help to prepare us for having children, we think about the hormone ‘oxytocin’.

When we think about gender differences and why the matter when studying Psychology, one of the key biological differences that comes to mind is the hormone ‘oxytocin’.

What if we are not looking at the role of oxytocin in all of it’s glory?

Experiments with mice and other lab animals suggest that instead of acting as a trigger for pro-social behaviour, the oxytocin simply sharpens the perception of social cues, so that mice can learn to target their social behaviour more accurately. And when oxytocin is blocked, mice lose the ability to recognise socially important individuals.

Read more in the BBC article to delve into the depths of oxytocin and why it matters so much more than we think!