Men's memories of their mothers' affection during childhood could be reinforced by oxytocin, popularly known as the "love hormone," according to a study by scientists at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and Harvard University. published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The researchers, led by Jennifer Bartz, analyzed the role of oxytocin in social perception by administering the hormone through a nasal spray to adult males who, prior to the study, had completed questionnaires about their mothers' care during childhood. According to the researchers, men who positively recalled their mothers' attention tended to rate their mothers as more attentive after taking oxytocin, compared to men who received placebo. However, men whose maternal relationships generated an anxiety response characterized their mothers as less caring and more distant after exposure to the hormone, suggesting that it could amplify pre-existing memories .
The results suggest that, more than a "love drug", oxytocin is a social memory enhancer . According to Bartz, when this substance is released in our brain "it intensifies our feelings about other people , whether they are positive or negative, depending on our interaction with them."
