Gender moderates the effect of oxytocin on social judgments
Abstract
Objective: The neuropeptide oxytocin is implicated in social processing, and recent research has begun to explore how gender relates to the reported effects. This study examined the effects of oxytocin on social affective perception and learning. Methods: Forty‐seven male and female participants made judgments of faces during two different tasks, after being randomized to either double‐blinded intranasal oxytocin or placebo. In the first task, “unseen” affective stimuli were presented in a continuous flash suppression paradigm, and participants evaluated faces paired with these stimuli on dimensions of competence, trustworthiness, and warmth. In the second task, participants learned affective associations between neutral faces and affective acts through a gossip learning procedure and later made affective ratings of the faces. Results: In both tasks, we found that gender moderated the effect of oxytocin, such that male participants in the oxytocin condition rated faces more negatively, compared with placebo. The opposite pattern of findings emerged for female participants: they rated faces more positively in the oxytocin condition, compared with placebo. Conclusions: These findings contribute to a small but growing body of research demonstrating differential effects of oxytocin in men and women. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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There is increasing evidence that oxytocin may often produce opposite effects in social salience and motivational domains in men and women.
“there is increasing evidence that it may often produce opposite effects in these domains in men and women (5 -7)”
From Oxytocin, the peptide that bonds the sexes also divides them (2016) · cites this paper as [7]
Behavioral studies report that oxytocin facilitates positive social judgments, social approach, kinship recognition, and altruism in women, but negative social judgments, social avoidance, competitor recognition, and selfishness in men.
“In particular, behavioral studies have reported that whereas OXT tends to facilitate positive social judgments (7), social approach (8), kinship recognition (5), and altruism (9) in women, in men it can facilitate negative social judgments (7), social avoidance (10), competitor recognition (5), and selfishness (9).”
From Oxytocin, the peptide that bonds the sexes also divides them (2016) · cites this paper as [7]
Gender differences in the effects of oxytocin have been repeatedly reported.
“gender differences in the effects of oxytocin have been repeatedly reported [22, 23]”
Gender differences in oxytocin effects have been repeatedly described.
“Gender differences in oxytocin effects have been repeatedly described [22, 23]”
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- Authors
- Hoge, E. A., Anderson, E., Lawson, E. A., Bui, E., Fischer, L. E., Khadge, S. D., Barrett, L. F., & Simon, N. M.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Northeastern University (US)
- Department of Psychiatry Massachusetts General Hospital Boston Massachusetts USA
- Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hoge, Elizabeth A.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2014-04-15
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 299-304
- ISSN
- 0885-6222 (ISSN-L)
- 1099-1077
- OpenAlex
- W1888419634
- Cited by
- 64
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 2 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 3
- FWCI
- 13.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Highland Street Foundation
- National Institutes of Health (DP1OD003312)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH093394)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Keywords
- oxytocin, gender differences, social perception, face perception, emotion perception, social learning, gossip learning, continuous flash suppression, intranasal administration, trustworthiness, warmth, competence ratings, placebo
- MeSH terms
- Administration, Intranasal, Adult, Double-Blind Method, Face, Female, Humans, Judgment, Learning, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Oxytocin, Self Administration, Sex Characteristics, Social Perception, Visual Perception, Young Adult
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