Summary: Despite marketing claims that oxytocin nasal sprays can heal strained relationships, a controlled study from the University of Essex finds it is unlikely to be a miracle cure for improving social functioning in healthy men. Intranasal oxytocin may still have therapeutic potential for conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and depression, but psychological training produced clearer short-term improvements in emotion recognition.
Source: University of Essex
New research from the University of Essex, conducted with collaborators at Cardiff University, suggests that taking the so-called “love hormone” oxytocin via nasal spray does not reliably improve emotion recognition in healthy young men and is unlikely to be a simple fix for relationship problems.
The study compared intranasal oxytocin to a validated computer-based emotion training program and to appropriate control conditions. Researchers found that the accredited emotion training program helped participants identify some emotional expressions, whereas intranasal oxytocin produced no measurable benefit in this sample.
Oxytocin is a naturally occurring neuropeptide that plays a role in regulating social behaviour, attachment and emotional processing. Because of this, intranasal oxytocin has been widely promoted—and sometimes marketed—as a way to boost social bonds, repair interpersonal difficulties, increase parental attachment and even influence body composition. This new research, however, indicates those claims should be treated with caution.
The paper, published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, reports data from a randomized, double‑blind trial involving 104 healthy male volunteers with an average age of 19. Participants received either intranasal oxytocin or placebo and then completed either the Cardiff Emotion Recognition Training program or a mock training. After the intervention, they were shown faces morphed across different emotional intensities and tested on their ability to identify those emotions.
Results showed the computer-based emotional training improved recognition for certain negative emotions—specifically aiding identification of angry expressions and supporting some gains for sadness—while intranasal oxytocin produced no detectable improvement in emotion recognition compared to placebo in this healthy sample.
Dr Katie Daughters, lead author of the study, emphasizes caution when considering oxytocin as a therapeutic tool. She said: “Our study serves as an important reminder that oxytocin may not always be the most effective tool when trying to improve the social lives and mental health of others. There are lots of studies examining whether oxytocin can increase a particular desired outcome, but relatively few studies have actually compared whether oxytocin is better than something else which is also designed to increase the same outcome.”
She added: “We wanted to improve people’s ability to recognise emotions, since difficulties identifying emotions are linked to an increased risk of mental health problems. In healthy young men, those who completed our computer-based emotion training were better at recognising some emotions, but those who received oxytocin showed no benefit.”
The authors note important limitations and future directions. The trial tested healthy young men only; further research is needed to determine whether oxytocin might act differently in women or in clinical populations who experience difficulties with social cognition, such as people with autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia or post‑natal depression. The researchers also highlight practical concerns about intranasal oxytocin’s current form: its beneficial effects appear to be short‑lived, often lasting only a few hours, which may limit clinical usefulness when compared with longer‑lasting psychological interventions.
Dr Daughters commented on comparative value: “If other methods are found to be as effective, or better, then we need to be open to these as well. Computer-based psychological interventions, like training people to recognise different emotional expressions and interpret their meaning in various scenarios, may offer longer-lasting benefits and cost less than repeated hormonal administration.”
About this psychology research news
Author: Ben Hall
Source: University of Essex
Contact: Ben Hall – University of Essex
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Closed access.
“Oxytocin administration versus emotion training in healthy males: considerations for future research” by Katie Daughters et al. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London
Abstract
Oxytocin administration versus emotion training in healthy males: considerations for future research
Accurate emotion recognition is essential for successful social interaction, and designing effective interventions for people who struggle with social cues is a pressing clinical goal. Because oxytocin is implicated in social cognition, intranasal oxytocin has been proposed as a physiological intervention to improve emotion recognition. However, intranasal administration has practical caveats and transient effects that limit its current utility.
Psychological interventions, by contrast, generally lack these physiological limitations. This pilot, proof-of-concept study directly compared intranasal oxytocin administration with a validated emotion training program in healthy volunteers. The psychological intervention—and not intranasal oxytocin—improved emotion recognition, with the most consistent gains seen for angry expressions. The paper discusses theoretical implications and considerations for the design of future clinical trials that test oxytocin, psychological training, or combined approaches.