Oxytocin, popularly known as the "love hormone" , could serve as a shield to control addictions as fearsome as drugs or alcohol, according to a latest study from the University of Adelaide (Australia).
The study, published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior , is based on the thesis that addictive behavior could be associated with a weak development of the oxytocin hormonal system during early childhood.
Oxytocin or "love hormone", apart from being related to sexual patterns, also improves our social interactions and maternal and paternal behavior. Thus, according to Femke Buisman-Pijlman, author of the study, the lack of ability to cope with an addiction could be linked to a poor development of the oxytocin systems .
Babies are born with levels of oxytocin in their bodies, thanks to which the mother-child bond is very easily created. However, our oxytocin levels continue to grow up to 3 years , so this system is subject to different influences, both internal and external, that can reduce or improve its development. In this way, oxytocin could reduce the sensation of pleasure offered by drugs and the sensation of stress, but only if the oxytocin system has developed properly .
