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Exploring the effects of oxytocin in the social bonds of dogs - Coggle…
Exploring the effects of oxytocin in the social bonds of dogs
The explanation for the evolution of social behavior varies but its importance in social species is undeniable.
Social bonds affect the longevity and reproductive success of individuals.
The neural circuitry for social bonding is unknown; however, a candidate for initiating the process is oxytocin because of its role in reproduction and several social behaviors like bond forming.
Past studies explored oxytocin in sexual partners but not friendships, and new studies show a positive correlation between oxytocin and positive social interactions but lack results for relations in oxytocin and maintaining these relationships.
The authors aimed to explore the mechanisms of social bonding, evolution of cooperation and variation in social skills by using dogs to study oxytocin in nonintimate partners.
The authors hypothesized that oxytocin should result in more positive behaviors toward partners compared to the placebo if oxytocin regulates social bond formation and maintenance.
Behavior was recorded for phase one, before treatment, and phase two, after treatment. Urine and blood were collected before and after treatment.
Urine and blood confirmed that oxytocin neurons in the brain were activated by intranasal administration of oxytocin.
Additionally, oxytocin administration was correlated with increased affiliation towards owners and increased social orientation towards owners.
Affiliation to partners increased too after oxytocin administration.
The subjects made greater effort to maintain social proximity after oxytocin administration.
Lower oxytocin levels before intranasal administration lead to greater effects than higher levels.
The effect of oxytocin administration changes with natural levels of oxytoncin on the body, for dogs.
The results showed oxytocin administration was correlated with increased affiliation, social orientation and social approach to nonintimate partners.
These behaviors enforce social bonds leading to their maintenance.
This suggest that the same ocytocinergic system that promotes parental behavior and pair-bonding in mammals also promotes social bonds in nonintimate partners.
Additionally, these behaviors increased towards humans not only the dog partners.
This suggest that the same ocytocinergic system promotes strong social bonds between genetically dissimilar individuals too.
Oxytocin's effects are increasing social engagement and initiation of affiliation not lowering anxiety or heightening awareness of social cues.
While this suggest that oxytocin will always lead to a positive social behavior, a growing body of evidence suggest that oxytocin's effect is context dependent as it could lead to increased territoriality and out-group bias.
The authors suggest that through a similar setup strangers should be introduced after intranasal administration of oxytocin to explore this possibility.
A major finding of the study was that reciprocation of affiliation increased bodily oxytocin levels more than intranasal administration.
This suggest that release of oxytocin is triggered by reciprocation of positive social interactions in a positive feedback loop.
Dopamine's association with oxytocin release suggest the reward (benefit) of past interactions helps maintain social bonds between non-relatives.
Overall, the study suggest that oxytocin contributed to the evolution of enduring cooperative bonds.
While cognitive understanding of future benefits from social relations may encourage them, this idea does not fully explain the evolution of the behavior.
Romero T, Nagasawa M, Mogi K, Hasegawa T, Kikusui T. 2014. Oxytocin promotes social bonding in dogs. PNAS. 111(25):9085-9090.
The authors focused on natural release of oxytocin in the body by analyzing the saline treatment group
They found that reciprocation of the affiliation by the partner lead to increased changes in oxytocin levels in the individual.
This suggest that oxytocin relies on reciprocation to increase social bond strength.
My question: Because the involvement of dopamine may be responsible for maintaining social bonds, I wonder if a social bond could become addictive?
Furthermore, could this "addiction" be a subconscious method of choosing partners in humans or explaining other phenomenon of social bonding.