Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Center for Information in Medicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China.
Sci Rep. 2017 Jan 12;7:40589. doi: 10.1038/srep40589.
We normally react to individuals who exclude us socially by either avoiding them or increasing our attempts to interact with them. The neuropeptide oxytocin can promote social bonds and reduce social conflict and we therefore investigated whether it facilitates more positive social responses towards individuals who exclude or include us. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subject design 77 healthy Chinese male and female participants received intranasal oxytocin (40 IU) or placebo before playing a modified virtual ball-tossing game with three fictitious partners who either showed exclusion, inclusion or neutral behavioral interactions with them. Results showed that both male and female subjects threw the ball more often to individuals who excluded rather than included them, although oxytocin did not alter this or awareness/feelings of exclusion or inclusion. However, when subjects returned a week later males, but not females, in the oxytocin group exhibited an increased liking for, and preference for playing again with, players who had previously excluded them. This oxytocin effect was positively associated with independent traits. Our findings suggest that in a collectivist culture oxytocin may promote the desire of males, but not females, with a stronger independent orientation to rebuild social connections with individuals who have previously excluded them.
我们通常会对在社交上排斥我们的个体做出回避或增加互动的反应。神经肽催产素可以促进社会联系，减少社会冲突，因此我们研究了它是否有助于对排斥或接纳我们的个体产生更积极的社会反应。在一项双盲、安慰剂对照、被试间设计的研究中，77 名健康的中国男性和女性参与者在接受鼻腔内给予催产素（40IU）或安慰剂之前，与三个虚构的伙伴玩改良的虚拟抛球游戏，这些伙伴与他们表现出排斥、接纳或中性的行为互动。结果表明，男性和女性参与者都更频繁地将球抛给排斥他们的人，而不是接纳他们的人，尽管催产素并没有改变这种情况，也没有改变对排斥或接纳的意识/感觉。然而，当参与者一周后回来时，在催产素组中，只有男性，而不是女性，表现出对之前排斥他们的参与者的更大的喜欢和再次与他们一起玩的偏好。这种催产素效应与独立特质呈正相关。我们的发现表明，在集体主义文化中，催产素可能会促进具有更强独立取向的男性（而不是女性）重建与之前排斥他们的个体的社会联系的愿望。
