Oxytocin and social bonding.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Non-human animal study
PubMed 1626829 · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1992.tb34356.x
What was done
Female prairie voles were studied to investigate the neurobiology of pair-bond formation, specifically assessing how sexual interactions and oxytocin infusions influence partner preference.
What was found
Both sexual interactions and oxytocin infusions hastened the formation of partner preference in female prairie voles. No quantitative data, group sizes, or statistical metrics are reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
Provides foundational animal evidence implicating oxytocin in adult heterosexual pair bonding and coordinating mammalian social interactions with reproductive events.
Limits
Findings are in female prairie voles and cannot be directly generalized to humans. The abstract omits sample sizes, experimental controls, oxytocin dosage and delivery details, and numerical outcomes.
Cited by
- supports Dr. C. Sue Carter discovered the link between oxytocin and social behavior.