'Love hormone' oxytocin carries unexpected side effect
'Love hormone' oxytocin carries unexpected side effect
Jan. 22, 2014 The love hormone, the monogamy hormone, the cuddle hormone, the trust-me drug: oxytocin has many nicknames. That's because this naturally occurring human hormone has recently been shown to help people with autism and schizophrenia overcome social deficits.
Share This:
As a result, certain psychologists prescribe oxytocin off-label, to treat mild social unease in patients who don't suffer from a diagnosed disorder. But that's not such a good idea, according to researchers at Concordia's Centre for Research in Human Development. Their recent study -- published in Emotion, a journal of the American Psychological Association -- shows that in healthy young adults, too much oxytocin can actually result in oversensitivity to the emotions of others.
With the help of psychology professor Mark Ellenbogen, PhD candidates Christopher Cardoso and Anne-Marie Linnen recruited 82 healthy young adults who showed no signs of schizophrenia, autism or related disorders. Half of the participants were given measured doses of oxytocin, while the rest were offered a placebo.
The participants then completed an emotion identification accuracy test in which they compared different facial expressions showing various emotional states. As expected, the test subjects who had taken oxytocin saw greater emotional intensity in the faces they were rating.
"For some, typical situations like dinner parties or job interviews can be a source of major social anxiety," says Cardoso, the study's lead author. "Many psychologists initially thought that oxytocin could be an easy fix in overcoming these worries. Our study proves that the hormone ramps up innate social reasoning skills, resulting in an emotional oversensitivity that can be detrimental in those who don't have any serious social deficiencies."
As Cardoso explains, "If your potential boss grimaces because she's uncomfortable in her chair and you think she's reacting negatively to what you're saying, or if the guy you're talking to at a party smiles to be friendly and you think he's coming on to you, it can lead you to overreact -- and that can be a real problem. That's why we're cautioning against giving oxytocin to people who don't really need it."
Ultimately, however, oxytocin does have the potential to help people with diagnosed disorders like autism to overcome social deficits.
But, says Cardoso, "The potential social benefits of oxytocin in most people may be countered by unintended negative consequences, like being too sensitive to emotional cues in everyday life."
Welcome to SUV System Ltd!
SUV System Ltd is ISO 90012008 Certified electronics distributor with 10 years of experiences.
We have built up long term business relationship with about many companies which are stockers and authorized agents. we have a steady and reliable supply to meet customer's demands to the greatest extent .Confidently, we are able to lower your cost and support your business with our years of professional service.
SUV System Ltd is Electronic Components Distributor Supplies,Find Quality Electronic Components Supplies Products IC(Integrated Circuits),Connectors,Capacitor,Resistors,Diodes,Transistors,LED at Suvsystem.com. Sourcing Other Energy, Environment, Excess Inventory Products from Manufacturers and Suppliers at Suvsystem.com
Electronic Components distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com
Connectors Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Connectors-1.html
IC Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/IC(Integrated-Circuits)-1.html
LED Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/LED-1.html
Capacitor Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Capacitor-1.html
Transistor Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Transistors-1.html
Resistor Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Resistors-1.html
Diode Distributor:http://www.suvsystem.com/l/Diodes-1.html
SUV System Ltd insists on the managing faith ofsincereness,speciality,foresight, win-win,so we build up stable-relationship customers located all over the world, including the States, Europe, Argentina, UAE, Malaysia, Australia,and India etc
we are focus on the following fields,and hope we can help you.
Resistor Arrays BB IC Fleld Effect Transistors MAXIM IC Multi-units Transistors Chip Inductors Thick Film Resistors Military IC Renesas parts IC TOSHIBA Diodes YAGEO Resistors Thin Film Resistors Switches AGILENT LED PANASONIC LITTELFUSE Diodes Discrete Semiconductor Transistors SANYO IC Chip Ferrite Beads Resistors IC(Integrated Circuits) MURATA IC Low Ohmic Resistors Kingbrigt LED NEC Transistors ON Transistors NS IC IR transistor NXP Transistors Texas Instruments(TI) IC Fast Recovery Diodes Bipolar Transistors Electronic News Freescale Semiconductor LINEAR IC Rectifier Diodes Digital Transistors INTERSIL IC Infineon Technologies Transistors Transistors
http://www.suvsystem.com/a/9512.aspx
Comments
Post a Comment