Oxytocin is nature’s medicine because it affects every known process. Photo / 123RF
If you’ve ever felt better after getting a hug from someone you love or petting your dog, you’re no stranger to the oxytocin effect. Many people are craving that calming sensation, given the constant barrage of stressful news.
Often called the “love hormone” or the “cuddle hormone”, oxytocin is produced in the brain’s hypothalamus and acts as a chemical messenger. It promotes feelings of love, bonding and wellbeing. It also impacts the peripheral nervous system, which carries information from the brain to the rest of the body, said Alicia Che, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine who conducts research on oxytocin.
As a result, the hormone can influence sensory processing, pain perception, regulation of body temperature, social interactions and more. “Oxytocin works in the brain and body,” she said.
Yet, it’s sometimes misunderstood. Due to its roles in childbirth and breastfeeding (it’s responsible for milk letdown and the emotional bonding between mom and newborn), “oxytocin had a reputation as a female hormone”, said Sue Carter, a neurobiologist and distinguished research scientist at Indiana University and the University of Virginia. “It’s not.”
Both men and women have oxytocin, as well as receptors for the hormone throughout their brains and bodies.
“Oxytocin is nature’s medicine because it affects every known process, even the microbiome,” Carter said. “It’s everywhere, doing everything. If you’re healthy, your body will release oxytocin.”
Depending on what you’re doing to trigger oxytocin release, the effects can kick in within seconds or minutes, experts said.
“Oxytocin can lower blood pressure and reduce stress reactivity,” noted Evan MacLean, an associate professor of veterinary medicine and psychology at the University of Arizona. “It can turn down the volume on that stress signal,” which can help you feel calmer physically and emotionally, he said.
In addition, oxytocin has been shown to reduce inflammation and has antioxidant properties, Carter said, both of which can protect the body and facilitate healing during illness or injury.
When it’s released naturally, oxytocin also plays a role in sexual behaviour, including sexual arousal and orgasms.
Moreover, oxytocin may affect appetite regulation, food intake, metabolism and the way the body handles sugar, said Elizabeth A Lawson, a neuroendocrinologist and researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Some people may be more responsive to the effects of oxytocin than others. My lab has identified oxytocin deficiency in a number of conditions,” including anorexia nervosa, depression and anxiety, she said.
A surge of oxytocin can increase empathy and lead to positive social behaviour, said Paul Zak, a behavioural neuroscientist and professor at Claremont Graduate University and author of The Little Book of Happiness. “When we are more empathic, we are nicer to be with and that leads to better social connections,” he said.
Some of the effects of oxytocin are so powerful that the hormone is being investigated as a nasal spray for physical and mental health conditions, including anxiety and autism, and severe irritability in people with disruptive behaviour disorders, and disruptive mood and behaviour disorders. It has been shown, with varying degrees of success, to have pain-relieving effects when administered as a nasal spray.
Use of an oxytocin nasal spray combined with psychotherapy may have a greater effect on reducing depressive symptoms in people with mental health disorders than either treatment alone, a recent study reported.
But oxytocin nasal sprays aren’t ready for prime time because more research needs to be done to determine efficacy, the right context or conditions for using it, and how to control the dosage, Che said.
For now, you can try to increase your own naturally occurring oxytocin production. Fortunately, there are many ways to do this (no hugs necessary). Here’s how:
Sing your heart out: Breaking into a song with other people – whether you are part of a chorus or a casual group – can lead to higher blood levels of oxytocin, a study showed. The mechanism behind this effect isn’t fully understood, but it may have an evolutionary basis.
“Thousands of years ago, music was probably used as some sort of social grooming behaviour so you could facilitate social connection within your tribe or make your tribe look more cohesive to others,” said Edward Roth, co-author of the study and a professor of music therapy at the University of Houston.
If you sing solo to a song with lyrics that resonate with you, you could get the same effect, Roth suggested, because you’ll experience emotional synchrony – feeling in sync emotionally with the artist. Even listening to relaxing, slow-tempo music is associated with increased salivary oxytocin levels, research has found.
Engage in a meditative practice: Research has shown that a single session of mindfulness meditation is associated with increased salivary levels of oxytocin. Other research has found that compassion-based and loving-kindness meditation can promote the release of oxytocin, most likely by promoting a sense of wellbeing and social connection, Che said.
Do something kind for someone else: Whether you volunteer at a charitable organisation, a school or a senior centre, being of service to other people - called prosocial behaviour – is associated with an increased production of oxytocin, according to a 2022 study. Oxytocin has strong connections with reward pathways in the brain, and altruistic acts can stimulate them “and give you a warm and fuzzy feeling”, Che said.
Get the right touch: A gentle or moderate-pressure massage, on your back, head or feet, can lead to higher levels of oxytocin in your blood or saliva, studies have shown. Seek the form of massage that feels right to you.
Gaze into your beloved dog’s eyes: Mutual gazing between people and their pups increases oxytocin levels in both species, leading to a positive feedback loop, research suggests. Petting your dog can stimulate the release of oxytocin, too.
Use good scents: Exposing yourself to certain aromas can up your oxytocin levels. Women’s oxytocin levels increased after exposure to lavender, neroli, jasmine absolute, roman chamomile, clary sage and Indian sandalwood oils, one study showed. Interestingly, a 2024 study found that while women’s salivary oxytocin levels increased after exposure to lavender essential oil, men’s didn’t, leading researchers to speculate that this may be because the sense of smell is more sensitive in women.
Get moving: Whether you go for a jog or do martial arts training or yoga, movement may stimulate production of oxytocin. When it comes to running, the duration may matter: While 10 minutes of running leads to an increase in salivary oxytocin levels, the effects are even greater after a 30-minute run, according to one study. “You need some physiological arousal to induce the release of oxytocin,” Zak said. If you exercise with a friend or group of people, the effects are even better, he added.
There are many ways to stimulate the release of oxytocin in your life – the key is to set yourself up for these experiences regularly.
“People want to know how to live a long life, and one of the answers is to facilitate the oxytocin system,” Carter said. “Oxytocin is turning out to be the antidote to stress.”
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