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Library Categories > Alternative Medicine > Can Oxytocin Ease Shyness?

 
Library Item Name:

Can Oxytocin Ease Shyness? 		   
Summary Statement:

Early studies of oxytocin's role in social interaction have yielded some interesting results. In a small 2006 experiment, Dr. Eric Hollander of New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine administered oxytocin and a placebo intravenously to 15 autistic adult patients; afterward, those who received oxytocin were better able to decipher emotions in tone of voice. Moreover, these improvements in social awareness lasted for nearly two weeks. In 2006, Hollander filed a patent for the use of oxytocin to treat symptoms of autism spectrum disorders; the request is still pending. Other investigators at Mount Sinai have found that oxytocin nasal sprays enhance autistic patients' ability to interpret facial expressions. In studies by Paul Zak, director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies in Claremont, Calif., small doses of inhaled oxytocin spray reduced anxiety and wariness of strangers in healthy volunteers; in one trial, the hormone made people feel more generous and trusting with their money.
Tags:

oxytocin,  hormone,  nasal spray
Submission Date:

07/21/2008by: shannonj
Current rating:


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