An unpleasant property has been discovered in the "love hormone"

Oxytocin is commonly called the "love hormone," but a new study by Canadian scientists has upended conventional wisdom: in people with relationship anxiety, this hormone can cast childhood memories in a darker light. The work was published in the scientific journal Emotion.

Oxytocin is a hormone and chemical messenger that plays a key role in childbirth, breastfeeding, and the formation of attachment between partners. Experiments on mice and sheep have shown that without it, mothers fail to recognize their own offspring, and adult animals are unable to remember their peers. The first experiments involving humans gave rise to an appealing idea: that oxytocin universally increases trust, willingness to cooperate, and empathy.

But more recent data introduced a significant amendment — the so-called social salience hypothesis. According to it, oxytocin acts as an emotional amplifier, highlighting any social information — whether positive or negative.

A team from McGill University, led by Melissa Shemirany and Jennifer A. Bartz, recruited 77 men and women for the experiment. During one visit, volunteers received oxytocin in the form of a nasal spray; during another, they received a placebo. Neither the participants nor the researchers knew which spray was being administered on a given day.

Once the hormone took effect, subjects were shown attachment-related words — "protect," "upset" — and asked to recall specific childhood episodes involving their mother. The experimenters then selected one positive and one negative memory and asked participants to recount them aloud.

Independent experts examined the transcripts of the recordings and assessed the emotional tone of the narratives. The result was revealing: participants with high attachment anxiety described their mothers significantly more negatively and with fewer warm emotions under the influence of oxytocin than after the placebo. The hormone, in essence, amplified their deep-seated fears related to close relationships.

Participants with an avoidant attachment style — those who typically suppress the need for closeness — became even more guarded under the influence of oxytocin. The hormone intensified their defensive desire to distance themselves from any candid disclosures.

It is important to consider the limitations of the study: the results pertain exclusively to memories about mothers — who were historically regarded as primary caregivers in early psychology. Whether oxytocin would alter memories about fathers or other close adults remains an open question. The sample was relatively young, predominantly white and Asian, so the picture may differ in other groups.

Additionally, an interesting discrepancy was found between human raters and computerized text analysis programs: automated tools often struggled with the mixed emotions so characteristic of family narratives.

The main takeaway of the study: oxytocin is by no means a universal cure for relationship problems. Since the hormone works as an amplifier of already existing social fears, its use in therapy may require a strictly individualized approach. Without proper oversight, it can exacerbate destructive stress in those who already experience significant anxiety in their personal relationships.