Cited by 1,258Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesOlfactory and Sensory Function Studies

Oxytocin shapes the neural circuitry of trust and trust adaptation in humans

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Baumgartner, Thomas, Heinrichs, Markus, Vonlanthen, Aline, Fischbacher, Urs, Fehr, Ernst·2008·Neuron

Abstract

Trust and betrayal of trust are ubiquitous in human societies. Recent behavioral evidence shows that the neuropeptide oxytocin increases trust among humans, thus offering a unique chance of gaining a deeper understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying trust and the adaptation to breach of trust. We examined the neural circuitry of trusting behavior by combining the intranasal, double-blind, administration of oxytocin with fMRI. We find that subjects in the oxytocin group show no change in their trusting behavior after they learned that their trust had been breached several times while subjects receiving placebo decrease their trust. This difference in trust adaptation is associated with a specific reduction in activation in the amygdala, the midbrain regions, and the dorsal striatum in subjects receiving oxytocin, suggesting that neural systems mediating fear processing (amygdala and midbrain regions) and behavioral adaptations to feedback information (dorsal striatum) modulate oxytocin's effect on trust. These findings may help to develop deeper insights into mental disorders such as social phobia and autism, which are characterized by persistent fear or avoidance of social interactions.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.neuron.2008.04.009

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  • Kosfeld's seminal finding on oxytocin and trust has not always been replicated; Baumgartner et al. found no significant effect of oxytocin on the pre-betrayal trust game, and two independent studies also failed to replicate Kosfeld's findings.

    “We noticed that Kosfeld’s [1] seminal finding was not always replicated either. Indeed, Baumgartner et al. [7] found no significant effect of OT on the pre-betrayal trust game. More recently, two independent studies also failed to replicate Kosfeld’s findings [20] [21].”
  • Previous studies indicate that oxytocin may induce sex-dependent changes in amygdala activation to emotional stimuli, but in opposite directions to the present findings.

    “Previous studies on amygdala responses to fearful faces and fearful/threatening scenes (14 -17, 30) and social risk (31) have also indicated that OXT may induce sex-dependent changes in amygdala activation to emotional stimuli.”

    From Oxytocin, the peptide that bonds the sexes also divides them (2016) · cites this paper as [31]

  • Participants in a trust game tend to discount feedback information regarding their partner's unreciprocal behavior more so when they are given intranasal oxytocin compared with a placebo.

    “An earlier study by Baumgartner et al. (2008) reported that participants in a trust game tend to discount feedback information regarding their partner's unreciprocal behavior more so when they are given intranasal OT compared with a placebo.”
  • Oxytocin reduces social anxiety by attenuating the amygdala response to fearful social signals.

    “On the other hand, there are several reports that OT reduces social anxiety by attenuating the amygdala response to fearful social signals (Kirsch et al., 2005;Baumgartner et al., 2008).”
  • Intranasal application of oxytocin increases trusting behavior in humans.

    “Intriguingly, intranasal application of OT has been shown to increase trusting behavior in humans [20], [21], identification of others' affective states [22] and amygdala responses to emotional faces [23].”

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Authors
Baumgartner, T., Heinrichs, M., Vonlanthen, A., Fischbacher, U., & Fehr, E.
Affiliations
University of Zurich (CH)
Corresponding author
Fehr, Ernst
Venue
Neuron
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-05
Volume
58
Issue
4
Pages
639-650
ISSN
0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2102027817
Cited by
1,258
References
78
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 105 · 2019: 64 · 2018: 51 · 2017: 73 · 2016: 96 · 2015: 86 · 2014: 92 · 2013: 118 · 2012: 111
FWCI
112.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuron (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • Research Bank (Australian Catholic University) (submittedVersion)
  • Bern Open Repository and Information System (University of Bern) (submittedVersion)
  • FreiDok plus (Universitätsbibliothek Freiburg) (submittedVersion)
  • Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
Funders
  • Universität Zürich (PP001-114788)
  • Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
Keywords
oxytocin, trust, betrayal of trust, amygdala, midbrain, dorsal striatum, fear processing, social cognition, social anxiety disorder, autism spectrum disorder
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Brain, Brain Mapping, Double-Blind Method, Games, Experimental, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Nerve Net, Oxygen, Oxytocin, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Reaction Time, Risk-Taking, Trust

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