Why oxytocin is called love hormone

If you're like most people, you associate oxytocin with love. That's fair—oxytocin's nicknames do include the "love" hormone and the "cuddle" hormone, after all. Oxytocin gets its nicknames because it's associated with several different feelings of bonding, closeness, and love. Oxytocin is released after an array of bonding activities, from . Oxytocin definitely earns its reputation as a "love" hormone across the board, but there's so much more to it than just cuddles and love. Here's everything you need to know about the very important, multifaceted hormone. In scientific terms, Oxytocin also plays an important role when it comes to the memory of faces, or social recognition. This doesn't just apply to people you love (or even like), but to people in general. While oxytocin can increase people's memory of faces, it has an on both men and women when it comes to other kinds of memory. When oxytocin levels are increased, for example, men and women may both find it more difficult to recall things like vocabulary. So if intense feelings of love have ever left you feeling speechless, that could be the reason behind it. Yet another positive effect of oxytocin is . This also makes sense; love, in its purest, wash-over-you form has a calming effect. In both men and women, increased levels of oxytocin (whether triggered by feelings of love and cuddles or something else) are linked to feelings of reduced stress and anxiety. Anxiety relief isn't oxytocin's only positive impact on men...

Often dubbed the ‘love hormone’, oxytocin is the powerful neurotransmitter behind the warm, fuzzy feeling we’re all familiar with. It forges a bond between We spoke to consultant psychiatrist Dr Tom Pennybacker, chief medical officer at What is oxytocin? Oxytocin is a naturally occurring hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter – a chemical messaging agent. It’s ‘one of the body’s feel-good hormones that counteracts Oxytocin is often dubbed the love hormone or cuddle hormone because it’s stimulated by – and also facilitates – It also affects another part of the brain, the amygdala, which lessens fear and facilitates feelings of friendliness and trust, says Dr Lee. ‘Studies When it comes to bonding, oxytocin works in conjunction with other feel-good hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin. However, it’s worth pointing out that oxytocin’s interaction with the amygdala differs between sexes. ‘Like many hormones, oxytocin seems to affect men and women differently,’ says Dr Pennybacker. ‘Some research suggests that oxytocin helps women identify potential friendships and, in contrast, men use it to identify competitive relationships.’ When it comes to bonding, oxytocin is no lone ranger. It works in conjunction with other feel-good hormones, such as dopamine (the ‘reward’ hormone) and serotonin (the ‘happy’ hormone). When you feel loving towards someone – or something – your brain releases a surge of dopamine, your serotonin levels peak, and oxytocin is produced. This trifecta o...

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: It's known as the love hormone, but a new study suggests that label is misleading. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports on what scientists are learning about oxytocin. JON HAMILTON, BYLINE: When romance is in the air, a couple's oxytocin levels rise. That's true for both people and prairie voles, mouse-like rodents that mate for life and are often used to study human behavior. Dr. Dev Manoli, a psychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco, says prairie vole couples share a nest and even co-parent. DEV MANOLI: One of the behaviors that's really, you know, sort of the most adorable is this huddling behavior, just sort of huddling with each other. They'll sometimes groom. Sometimes they just fall asleep because it's very calming. And that's very specific to the pair-bonded partner. HAMILTON: Decades of research has suggested that oxytocin is critical to that sort of behavior. So Manoli and a team of scientists did an experiment designed to disrupt pair bonding. They removed fertilized eggs from female prairie voles and edited the genes to neutralize the effects of oxytocin. After that, Manoli says, they let the cells grow. MANOLI: So we culture them for a few days and then put them into what's called a pseudo-pregnant female. HAMILTON: An animal that's hormonally ready to carry an embryo. The result was pups that appeared normal. And when these pups grew up, they formed pair bonds just like other prairie voles. Manoli says females were even able to pro...

1. Dogs are chock full of the ‘love hormone’ Dogs’ bodies produce oxytocin when in the presence of their human counterparts – and they get a big burst of it every time they make eye contact with their bonded humans. When a dog’s brain is flooded with the hormone, it’s better able to follow the social cues of its owners. And the longer a dog maintains its owners’ gaze, the more elevated the levels of oxytocin released. In fact, dog levels of oxytocin are on average five times higher than those of cats. 2. Monkeys put on sympathy weight Marmoset and tamarin monkeys from Central and South America live in family social groups. When a female gets pregnant, the father picks up on her social cues and actually gains weight: he’ll start packing on the pounds as soon as she’s getting bigger throughout the pregnancy. At this time, the fathers have different hormones – oxytocin, oestrogen and prolactin, which is linked to breastfeeding – that make him more maternal once the infant arrives. The marmosets have nipples right under their arms, and the father experiences enlargement of these when his mate is pregnant. It seems that just a few tweaks of hormones can have a profound effect on what we think of as male and female. 3. Meerkats become even more sociable – and altruistic Meerkats are textbook examples of cooperative social creatures. They live in groups of up to 50, helping each other to dig and guard burrows. They babysit, feed and teach one another’s pups. But they can be made ...

If you’ve ever forayed into the study of the human body, especially the female body, then no doubt you’ve heard of “the love hormone”: oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone made by the hypothalamus in your brain and then released by the pituitary gland. It plays a major role in sex, labor, childbirth, placenta delivery, and breastfeeding, making it a particularly important hormone for women. I first became interested in oxytocin when I was about to do what millions of other women have done – have a baby. Like many others before me, I learned about the fascinating changes that my body would go through, and the complex web of body systems at play in my child’s prenatal development. That first time around, I learned about oxytocin more from what I might call a medical perspective. I learned that oxytocin plays a role in labor and birth, and when it fails (or doesn’t function quickly enough for medical providers), Oxytocin bonds couples So what exactly does oxytocin do? Oxytocin plays a major role in sex. It’s nicknamed Oxytocin bonds moms and babies This bonding effect of oxytocin does not just apply to romantic relationships, however. Oxytocin does a great deal to bind mother and baby together. It does this first through stimulating contractions in the uterus when the mother is going into labor. The Other gentle ways to encourage oxytocin release are simply to cuddle or embrace your partner during labor, dim the lights, and listen to soothing music. In the words of If hospitals tr...

Oxytocin is a hormone that’s produced in the hypothalamus and released into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland. Its main function is to facilitate childbirth, which is one of the reasons it is called the "love drug" or "love hormone." Our bodies also produce oxytocin when we’re excited by our sexual partner, and when we fall in love. That’s why it has earned the nicknames, "love hormone" and "cuddle hormone." How to increase oxytocin Low oxytocin levels have been linked to symptoms of depression, including A more promising way to boost oxytocin naturally is with exercise. One study noted a jump in oxytocin levels measured in participants’ saliva after high-intensity martial arts training. Music also seems to have the ability to increase oxytocin levels, especially when people sing in a group, which adds the element of bonding. Just the simple act of touch seems boost oxytocin release. Giving someone a massage, cuddling, making love, or giving someone a hug leads to higher levels of this hormone and a greater sense of well-being. Oxytocin is just one of the four feel-good hormones. To learn more about the others and how they work, head to the . Image: FatCamera/Getty Images

Oxytocin is a protein-like molecule that your brain cells use to communicate with each other. This hormone is what makes us feel and is a crucial ingredient in forming the elements that make us human. Oxytocin plays an important role in sex, childbirth, emotional and social interactions with others. Even though this hormone is produced naturally, oxytocin can be manufactured synthetically to be used in a more therapeutic climate. Even though oxytocin helps in relieving stress and anxiety, it can have negative effects on memory and concentration. This hormone can also relieve pain in people with chronic illness, social phobia, autism, and postpartum depression. Oxytocin is complicated and its effects are not all positive. It is possible that oxytocin can impair memory. You must be thinking ‘ Does this mean that oxytocin makes us more forgetful?’ It all depends on the attachment style of a person. How one deals with trust, intimacy, and dependency. For instance, if your attachment style is more emotionally independent, then oxytocin can improve your ability to learn. But it may harm the memory of people who are more dependent on others. 5 Reasons Why We Need Oxytocin 1. Naturally available Oxytocin is released when we hug someone or embrace someone. The simple contact causes our brains to release oxytocin in both, us and the person we’re embracing. This experience is not limited to humans. Cuddling with your pet can also help increase the level of oxytocin in a body. 2. Love...

1 2 'Love hormone' is two-faced: Oxytocin strengthens bad memories and can increase fear and anxiety Date: July 22, 2013 Source: Northwestern University Summary: Oxytocin is known as the hormone that promotes feelings of love, bonding and well-being. It's even being tested as an anti-anxiety drug. But new research shows oxytocin also can cause emotional pain. Oxytocin appears to be the reason stressful social situations, perhaps being bullied at school or tormented by a boss, reverberate long past the event and can trigger fear and anxiety in the future. That's because the hormone actually strengthens social memory in the brain. Share: It turns out the love hormone oxytocin is two-faced. Oxytocin has long been known as the warm, fuzzy hormone that promotes feelings of love, social bonding and well-being. It's even being tested as an anti-anxiety drug. But new Northwestern Medicine® research shows oxytocin also can cause emotional pain, an entirely new, darker identity for the hormone. Oxytocin appears to be the reason stressful social situations, perhaps being bullied at school or tormented by a boss, reverberate long past the event and can trigger fear and anxiety in the future. That's because the hormone actually strengthens social memory in one specific region of the brain, Northwestern scientists discovered. If a social experience is negative or stressful, the hormone activates a part of the brain that intensifies the memory. Oxytocin also increases the susceptibility ...

Oxytocin is sometimes called the love hormone because it’s responsible for some of the positive emotions you feel during attraction and sexual desire. What exactly is oxytocin and how does it affect you? Here's what you need to know. Is Oxytocin a Neurotransmitter? Oxytocin is both a hormone and a It is the hormone responsible for contractions during labor, for breast Oxytocin in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Oxytocin is the hormone that starts labor by causing Once oxytocin is released into your blood it attaches to cells in the inner wall of your uterus and activates them. This causes an increase of calcium in your cells and then starts muscle contractions. Your body keeps releasing oxytocin in what’s called a positive feedback loop as your uterus contracts. This leads to stronger contractions more often until you deliver your baby. Some women are given oxytocin as a drug to help start labor or to make contractions stronger to get labor going faster. Oxytocin also brings milk into your breasts. When your baby latches on to your breast, the sucking motion also stimulates oxytocin, which helps milk letdown. When the feeding is over, oxytocin will stop being released until the next time you The hormone also triggers Oxytocin and Love, Trust, and Mental Health Oxytocin has a calming effect and can influence your emotions and mental health. Lowers stress. Studies show that when people are under physical Lowers anxiety. Oxytocin might help lower anxiety as well. In one study, pe...