Abstract
Background: Oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide, has positive effects on social and emotional processes during group activities. Because cooking is an integrated process in the cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional areas, cooking in a group is reported to improve emotion and cognition. However, evidence for efficacy in group cooking has not been well established at the biological level. Methods: To address this shortcoming, we first measured salivary levels of OT and cortisol (CORT), a biomarker of psychological stress, before and after group cooking for approximately 1 h by people who know each other in healthy married or unmarried men and women. We then compared the initial OT and CORT concentrations with those during individual non-cooking activities in isolation. Results: Baseline OT concentrations before group and non-group sessions did not significantly differ and OT levels increased after both types of activity in men and women. In men, however, the percentage changes of OT levels in the first over the second saliva samples were significantly small during cooking compared with those in individual activities. In women, however, such a difference was not observed. In contrast, the mean salivary CORT concentrations after group cooking were significantly decreased from the baseline level in both sexes, though such decreases were not significant after individual activity sessions. The sex-specific differences were marital-status independent. Conclusion: These results indicate that OT and CORT concentrations after two activity sessions by a familiar group changed in opposite directions in a sex-specific manner. This suggests that, because cooking is experience-based, we need to consider the sex-specific features of group cooking if we apply it for intervention.
Highlights
The nonapeptide oxytocin (OT) promotes social affiliation and bond formation, and functions to reduce anxiety and dampen the stress response in mammalian species [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]
The OT concentrations in the saliva collected before cooking in a group and the individual activity in isolation were determined and used as the baseline OT levels (Table 2)
Increased in women, we assume that OT reflects a happy condition [72,73,74]; these findings suggest that cooking seems to be pleasant for women, but not so pleasant for men
Summary
The nonapeptide oxytocin (OT) promotes social affiliation and bond formation, and functions to reduce anxiety and dampen the stress response in mammalian species [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. Nasal application of OT in subjects with ASD with or without comorbid intellectual disability has been shown to improve social interactions [24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]. One way to understand the OT system in the nervous system is to measure OT concentrations in the brain or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We have reported that OT is released into the brain during social stress in mice [32]. Oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide, has positive effects on social and emotional processes during group activities. Because cooking is an integrated process in the cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional areas, cooking in a group is reported to improve emotion and cognition.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
