Abstract
In humans and animal models, oxytocin increases social closeness, attachment and prosocial behaviors, while decreasing anxiety and stress levels. Efficiently triggering the release of endogenous oxytocin could serve as a powerful therapeutic intervention for disorders of social behavior and for anxiety. We designed a new version of a social sensorimotor synchronization task to investigate the role of social approval in inducing biochemical and psychological changes following behavioral synchrony in a sample of 80 college students. Social approval in the form of real time positive feedback increased well-being only in women, while increasing social closeness in both genders. Social disapproval in the form of real time negative feedback prevented a decrease in stress levels that otherwise women reported following engagement in either social or non-social synchronization. Surprisingly, for certain personality traits, negative social feedback during sensorimotor synchronization was psychologically beneficial irrespective of gender. Salivary oxytocin levels increased only in women after the social but not the non-social synchronization tasks. Oxytocin dynamics were independent of the type of real time feedback that subjects received, indicating the existence of distinct mechanisms for hormonal versus behavioral changes following synchronization. Nevertheless, changes in salivary oxytocin after positive social feedback correlated with changes in well-being and predicted changes in prosocial attitudes. Our findings show evidence of distinct mechanisms for behavioral versus hormonal changes following social sensorimotor synchronization, and indicate that gender and personality traits should be carefully considered when designing behavioral therapies for improving social attitudes and for stress management.
Highlights
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) plays complex roles in emotional and social behaviors, including attachment, social recognition, trust, generosity, anxiety management, and responses to social stress (Heinrichs et al, 2003; Kosfeld et al, 2005; Uvnäs-Moberg et al, 2005; Zak et al, 2007; De Dreu et al, 2010; MacDonald and Feifel, 2014)
To determine if perceived social approval might be the main driver of such profound changes following social sensorimotor synchronization, we investigated responses in imitators when they received social approval, social disapproval, or when they did not receive social feedback (“non-social” condition)
We explored the possibility that changes in salivary OXT mediate changes in well-being and in social closeness, the possibility that social approval or disapproval during imitation changes prosocial attitudes, and the possibility that different personality types respond differently to imitation with social feedback
Summary
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) plays complex roles in emotional and social behaviors, including attachment, social recognition, trust, generosity, anxiety management, and responses to social stress (Heinrichs et al, 2003; Kosfeld et al, 2005; Uvnäs-Moberg et al, 2005; Zak et al, 2007; De Dreu et al, 2010; MacDonald and Feifel, 2014). OXT administration has been proposed as a treatment option for autism, social anxiety and other disorders with a social dimension (Andari et al, 2018; Benner and Yamasue, 2018). Alternative approaches include behavioral therapies that stimulate the release of endogenous OXT. In addition to labor and lactation, OXT can be released after physical effort, sexual activity and physical touch (Seltzer et al, 2010; Jong et al, 2015). It has been shown that social imitation by sensorimotor synchronization can increase OXT levels in dyadic partners (Aoki and Yamasue, 2015; Spengler et al, 2017)
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