Welcome another week to my blog!
This time we bring science closer to the world of love, sex and eroticism. And if we talk about science in psychology, we talk about neuropsychology, a fascinating discipline that I recommend you explore. I am sure that, like me, you will be hooked and want to know more.
Today I bring you a small but very interesting fragment of it. The substance that mediates between love and sex, among other aspects, is the hormone called oxytocin, known as “the love hormone.” Produced by the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland, this hormone promotes positive social contacts, trust, helps establish lasting emotional relationships and is released during orgasm.
The power of oxytocin
Oxytocin is released during a couple's first sexual relations, fostering the desire to increase the bond with that special person. Promotes tenderness, relieves stress and promotes empathy and generosity. Thanks to these abilities, it makes you more likely to have a long-term emotional relationship. It is said to be responsible for monogamy and fidelity, although the latter is not yet fully proven.
Fascinating studies on oxytocin
Let's now look at some studies that exemplify the immense power of this hormone:
- Memory of Faces: In an experiment, several people were asked to memorize a series of faces. Those under the effects of an additional dose of oxytocin remembered a friendly face better than a sad or neutral one. Isn't it fascinating? A hormone can make us see a social situation more positively, strengthen a friendship and even promote relationships.
- Brain Reward Centers: Another study reveals that oxytocin is involved in the reward centers of the brain, producing pleasure, which is why it is present during orgasms.
- Evolution and Survival: The precursor gene for oxytocin is more than 500 million years old and is present in all mammals that interact in groups for their survival, especially primates.
Increase oxytocin levels
You may be wondering, can we increase our levels of this "elixir of life"? The answer is yes. For example, the power of physical contact: a warm hand caressing you offers confidence and the brain receives a powerful dose of oxytocin. Simple, right?
But there is more. Oxytocin is not just the touch hormone; It also accelerates childbirth and stimulates the secretion of breast milk. In fact, it was initially known as the pregnancy hormone and is used as a treatment for disorders related to the loss of social skills, such as autism, social phobia, depression or psychosis.
The hormone of humanity
Talking about oxytocin is always an understatement, because more and more relationships are being discovered between this hormone and our body and behavior. We could certainly change its nickname to the “humanity hormone,” since without it we wouldn't have many of the special things that make us human.
