Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT) is known to play an important role in trust, whereas the involvement of other peptide hormones has not been evaluated. In this study, we focused on microsatellite polymorphisms in the intron of the arginine-vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a) gene and examined whether the association between the repeat lengths in the intron of AVPR1a is associated with trust and reciprocity in humans. Four-hundred and thirty-three participants played the trust game, answered the attitudinal trust question, and their buccal cells were collected. Results showed that men with a short form of AVPR1a tend to send more money to the opponent, even if there is a possibility of being betrayed by the opponent. Additionally, people with a short form of AVPR1a tended to return money to the opponent who trusts them. However, attitudinal trust was not associated with AVPR1a. These results indicate that arginine-vasopressin receptor 1a plays an important role in trust and reciprocal behaviors.
Highlights
Trust is an indicator of social capital reflecting the efficiency of society, and numerous studies in the field of social science have examined human trust (Putnam et al, 1994; Fukuyama, 1995; Yamagishi, 2011)
Trust behavior is associated with microsatellite polymorphisms in the intron of arginine-vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a)
Men with a long form of AVPR1a tend to keep their money. This is the first study to reveal an association between the microsatellite polymorphism in the intron of AVPR1a and trust behavior in humans
Summary
Trust is an indicator of social capital reflecting the efficiency of society, and numerous studies in the field of social science have examined human trust (Putnam et al, 1994; Fukuyama, 1995; Yamagishi, 2011). Attention has focused on the biological foundation of trust, which revealed that the peptide hormone oxytocin (OXT) synthesized in the hypothalamus regulates trust (Kosfeld et al, 2005). OXT is axon-projected in various regions of the central nervous system, such as the striatum, amygdala, hippocampus, and others (Meyer-Lindenberg et al, 2011). Previous studies showed that OXT attenuates the stress response and enhances the reward system, as well as regulates social cognition and behavior (Domes et al, 2007; Feldman, 2017). OXT attenuates anxiety related to social risk and promotes trust by suppressing the activity of the amygdala, which is the center of emotional processing (Baumgartner et al, 2008). Because twin studies have shown that trust is inherited (Cesarini et al, 2008; Reimann et al, 2017), genetic approaches have been
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