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Biological Psychology 90 (2012) 1–9

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Biological Psychology
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/biopsycho

A heartfelt response: Oxytocin effects on response to social stress in men and women
Laura D. Kubzansky a,∗ , Wendy Berry Mendes b , Allison A. Appleton c , Jason Block d , Gail K. Adler e
a

Department of Society, HumanDevelopment, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA Department of Psychiatry, UC San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA d Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA e Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes andHypertension, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
b c

a r t i c l e

i n f o

a b s t r a c t
Background: Animal research indicates that oxytocin is involved in social behavior, stress regulation, and positive physiologic adaptation. This study examines whether oxytocin enhances adaptive responses to social stress and compareseffects between men and women. Methods: Hypotheses were tested with a placebo-controlled, double-blind experiment. Social stress was induced. Changes in cardiovascular reactivity, affect, and behavior were assessed. Results: Participants given oxytocin, relative to placebo, responded to social stress with a challenge orientation characterized by a benign pattern of cardiovascular reactivity. Genderdifferences emerged. Men given oxytocin reported less negative affect and had greater vagal rebound, while women given oxytocin reported more anger and had better math performance following social stress. Discussion: Findings indicate oxytocin stimulates an approach-oriented cardiovascular profile during social stress, suggesting mechanisms by which oxytocin might improve physical health. However,before considering oxytocin as therapeutic or uniformly enhancing health, greater understanding of possible gender differences in effects is needed. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Article history: Received 8 July 2011 Accepted 15 February 2012 Available online 23 February 2012 Keywords: Social stress Oxytocin Gender Cardiovascular Experiment Health

1. Introduction Positive socialrelationships have consistently been associated with better health, although the neurobiological underpinnings of these observed effects are not well understood. Animal research has indicated that oxytocin, a neuropeptide produced in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei (PVN) of the hypothalamus, is involved in social bonding, stress regulation, and positive physiologic adaptations that maybe linked with greater longevity and successful aging (Depue and Morrone-Strupinsky, 2005; Knox and UvnasMoberg, 1998; Taylor et al., 2000; Uvnas-Moberg, 1997). Because of its potential role in promoting positive human social behavior, recent research has focused on whether oxytocin may lead to improved social and emotional functioning for a range of disorders including autism, schizophrenia, andanxiety or depression (Averbeck, 2010; Bartz and Hollander, 2008; Bartz et al., 2010). Moreover, given its apparent anti-stress effects, some investigators

∗ Corresponding author at: Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA. Tel.: +1 617 432 3589; fax: +1 617 432 3123. E-mail address:Lkubzans@hsph.harvard.edu (L.D. Kubzansky). 0301-0511/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.02.010

have posited that oxytocin may reduce stress-related physiologic consequences such as decreasing heart rate and blood pressure, and have speculated important links between oxytocin and cardiovascular health (Knox and Uvnas-Moberg, 1998). However, knowledge of the...