俗話說,「兩人分擔,困難減半」,但不少人張不開嘴,寧願獨自面對。加拿大研究人員發現,催產素能夠增強困難時期對他人的信任感,有助於向他人尋求支持和幫助,共同解決困難。
加拿大康科迪亞大學人類行為研究中心的馬克·埃倫博根和克里斯多福·卡多佐進行一項雙盲實驗,讓100名學生使用催產素或安慰劑鼻用噴霧,然後讓他們遭遇社會排斥。研究人員冒充學生,與志願者對話,其間或與他們發生爭執、或無禮打斷、或對他們不理不睬。
研究人員隨後讓志願者回答一份有關情緒和性格的調查問卷。
結果顯示,對那些遭社會排斥後情緒明顯低落的志願者而言,事前使用催產素鼻用噴霧的志願者對他人的信任度高於使用安慰劑者。但對那些遭社會排斥後情緒無明顯波動的志願者而言,催產素不影響他們對他人的信任度。
研究結果刊載於最新一期《心理神經內分泌學》期刊上。
卡多佐說,這項研究可能給那些因承受巨大壓力、鮮少獲得社會支持而引起心理疾病的患者,譬如抑鬱症患者,提供一項新的治療選擇。「如果有人覺得非常鬱悶,催產素或許可以幫助你尋求社會支持」,抑鬱症患者容易退縮,而社交活動能夠減輕抑鬱,幫助康復。
傳統研究關注催產素對女性生產和哺乳的作用,近年來開始關注這種激素對社會行為的影響。
「先前研究顯示,抑鬱人群體內的天然催產素水平較高,但在這項研究之前,無人知道確切原因,」卡多佐說,「原來,催產素能夠促使抑鬱者向他人尋求幫助。」
卡多佐說,與多數藥物不同的是,催產素的這一效用因個體情況和背景因素差異而不同,因此,多了解這一激素有助今後更好地用於治療。埃倫博根計劃下一步將研究催產素對臨床抑鬱症高危人群的影響。(生物谷 Bioon.com)
生物谷推薦的英文摘要
Psychoneuroendocrinology doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.05.006
Stress-induced negative mood moderates the relation between oxytocin administration and trust: Evidence for the tend-and-befriend response to stress?
Christopher Cardoso, Mark A. Ellenbogen, Lisa Serravalle, Anne-Marie Linnen
IntroductionRecent evidence suggests that oxytocin, a nonapeptide posited to underlie the affiliation-related 「tend-and-befriend」 behavioral response to stress (Taylor et al., 2000), may improve interpersonal functioning by facilitating the acquisition of social support during times of distress. The assertion, however, has not been explicitly tested in humans. Thus, we examined whether the effect of oxytocin on self-perceived trust is magnified in inpiduals who experienced higher ratings of negative mood following social rejection.MethodIn a double-blind experiment, 100 students (50♀) were subject to a live social rejection paradigm following random assignment to either a 24IU intranasal oxytocin or placebo administration. Mood and self-perceived trust were measured following social rejection.ResultsMultiple regression and simple slope analysis revealed that oxytocin administration increased self-perceived trust relative to placebo in participants reporting a negative mood response following social rejection [b=4.245, t(96)=3.10, p=.003], but not in those whose mood state was euthymic.ConclusionThese results demonstrate that oxytocin may promote the acquisition of social support in times of distress by increasing self-perceived trust. The findings provide empirical support that oxytocin promotes an affiliation-related behavioral response to stress, consistent with the tend-and-befriend theory.