Popularly known as
the “love hormone,” oxytocin may also intensify spiritual beliefs, according to
a research by Duke University in the United States.
Lead author Patty Van Cappellen, associate director of the
Interdisciplinary and Behavioral Research Center at Duke and colleagues
discovered that men who received oxytocin nasal spray reported a greater sense
of spirituality than those who did not receive the hormone.
Furthermore, positive emotions during meditation were
reported by men who received the hormone.
Oxytocin – a hormone and chemical messenger produced by
hypothalamus in the brain – is known for playing a key role in childbirth and
breast-feeding. It is also known for its role in maternal bonding, and based on
evidence that it is crucial for social bonding, trust, empathy, and sexual
pleasure, it is often dubbed the “love hormone.”
The latest findings suggest improved spirituality could be
another effect of the hormone on human psychology.
For their study, Van Cappellen and the team selected 83
middle-aged men and randomly assigned them to receive either oxytocin nasal
spray or a placebo.
Immediately after and one week, subjects were required to
complete a questionnaire about their spiritual beliefs.
A guided meditation exercise was also provided to them and
was asked what emotions they felt during the exercise.
Researchers found that compared with men who received the
placebo, the oxytocin group was more likely to mention spirituality as being
very important to their lives and their life had meaning and purpose, regardless
of whether or not they were part of an organized religion.
Additionally, the more likely feelings among the same group
was that they were more interconnected with other people and living things,
compared with the placebo group.
Furthermore, the team discovered that men who received
oxytocin reported feeling positive emotions such as hope, gratitude, awe, love,
inspiration, and serenity during guided meditation.
A gene variant – CD38 – known to regulate the release of
oxytocin in the hypothalamus – was found in men who had the strongest link
between oxytocin and enhanced spirituality, researchers discovered upon
analyzing the genotypes of all participants.
The team notes that further investigation will prove whether
oxytocin produces the same effect in women, but they say their findings provide
the first evidence that oxytocin may act as a catalyst in our spiritual
beliefs.
Van Cappellen says, they wanted to understand biological
factors that may improve spirituality and meditation, because in past studies,
these two spiritual experiences had been associated with health and well-being.
Oxytocin seems to be partly responsible for supporting our body with spiritual
beliefs.
Spirituality, he says is affected by many factors. But, the
“love hormone” does appear to influence how we view the world, at the same time
and what we believe.
The findings were published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
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