Oxytocin modulates cooperation within and competition between groups: An integrative review and research agenda

De Dreu, Carsten K.W.

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.12.009

Cited by 455Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorEvolutionary Game Theory and CooperationEvolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

Oxytocin modulates cooperation within and competition between groups: An integrative review and research agenda

De Dreu, Carsten K.W.·2012·Hormones and Behavior

DOI 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.12.009

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Abstract

The author reviews evidence that hypothalamic release (or infusion) of the neuropeptide oxytocin modulates the regulation of cooperation and conflict among humans because of three reasons. First, oxytocin enables social categorization of others into in-group versus out-group. Second, oxytocin dampens amygdala activity and enables the development of trust. Third, and finally, oxytocin up-regulates neural circuitries (e.g., inferior frontal gyrus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, caudate nucleus) involved in empathy and other-concern. Consistent with an evolutionary perspective on the functionality of cooperation, it is concluded that oxytocin-motivated cooperation is mostly parochial-it motivates (i) in-group favoritism, (ii) cooperation towards in-group but not out-group members, and (iii) defense-motivated non-cooperation towards threatening outsiders. Thus, in addition to its well-known role in reproduction and pair-bond formation, oxytocin's primary functions include in-group "tend-and-defend." This review concludes with avenues for new research on oxytocin's functions in within-group cooperation and between-group competition. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior.

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OXT can promote risk aversion and noncooperation toward individuals perceived as outsiders.
“since OXT can also promote risk aversion (Declerck et al., 2010) and noncooperation toward individuals perceived as outsiders (De Dreu, 2012).”
From Oxytocin Modulates Social Distance between Males and Females (2012) · cites this paper as De Dreu, 2012
The anxiolytic effect of oxytocin is proposed to facilitate social cohesion during highly risky situations that might otherwise precipitate defection away from threat.
“The anxiolytic effect of oxytocin is proposed to facilitate social cohesion during highly risky situations that might otherwise precipitate defection away from threat (4).”
From Oxytocin reactivity during intergroup conflict in wild chimpanzees (2017) · cites this paper as [4]
Oxytocin triggers a "tend and defend" form of parochial altruism, accentuating cooperative behavior toward the in-group as well as defensive behavior toward out-groups.
“This suggests that oxytocin triggers a “tend and defend” form of parochial altruism, accentuating cooperative behavior toward the in-group as well as defensive behavior toward out-groups (4).”
From Oxytocin reactivity during intergroup conflict in wild chimpanzees (2017) · cites this paper as [4]
In some studies oxytocin only increases positive perceptions or social motivations toward others, and in other studies it also amplifies pre-existing social motivations or perceptions, whether positive or negative.
“Finally, in some studies oxytocin only increases positive perceptions or social motivations toward others (Chang et al., 2012; Shamay-Tsoory et al., 2013) and in other studies it also amplifies pre-existing social motivations or perceptions, whether positive or negative (De Dreu, 2012).”
From Endogenous peripheral oxytocin measures can give insight into the dynamics of social relationships: a review (2014) · cites this paper as De Dreu, 2012
Under certain circumstances, oxytocin may activate a positive feedback system, such that oxytocin may trigger a behavior or motivation, or vice versa, and the behavior or motivation may trigger further oxytocin release.
“As a final effect of oxytocin, it is thought that under certain circumstances, oxytocin may activate a positive feedback system, such that oxytocin may trigger a behavior or motivation, or vice versa. Then, the behavior or motivation may trigger further oxytocin release, which may again initiate more of the behavior (Uvnäs-Moberg, 1998; De Dreu, 2012).”
From Endogenous peripheral oxytocin measures can give insight into the dynamics of social relationships: a review (2014) · cites this paper as De Dreu, 2012

There are indications for a positive feedback system in the context of labor during child birth, and it is hypothesized in the context of affiliation and cooperation.
“There are indications for this in the context of labor during child birth (Russell et al., 2003), and this is hypothesized, for example, in the context of affiliation (Uvnäs-Moberg, 1998) and cooperation (see De Dreu, 2012).”
From Endogenous peripheral oxytocin measures can give insight into the dynamics of social relationships: a review (2014) · cites this paper as De Dreu, 2012
Oxytocin typically increases cooperation toward those perceived as in-group members but simultaneously decreases cooperation and increases negative attitudes toward out-group members.
“oxytocin typically increases cooperation toward those perceived as being in-group members but simultaneously decreases cooperation and increases negative attitudes toward out-group members (see De Dreu, 2012 for a review).”
From Endogenous peripheral oxytocin measures can give insight into the dynamics of social relationships: a review (2014) · cites this paper as De Dreu, 2012
High oxytocin and high testosterone might induce loyal comradeship required for dangerous or risky group action that individuals are less likely to engage in alone.
“In contrast, high oxytocin and high testosterone might induce loyal comradeship required for dangerous or risky group action that individuals are less likely to engage in alone (De Dreu, 2012), such as dare-devil acts or warfare.”
From Endogenous peripheral oxytocin measures can give insight into the dynamics of social relationships: a review (2014) · cites this paper as De Dreu, 2012
Increasing evidence suggests that oxytocin's function is not always consistent with facilitating social approach, but that administering intranasal oxytocin can also lead to parochial, competitive, and envious behaviors and behaviors that appear to be driven by schadenfreude, which have an anti-social dimension.
“Since the publication of this study, increasing evidence suggests that OT's function is not always consistent with facilitating social approach, but that administering intranasal OT can also lead to parochial, competitive, and envious behaviors and behaviors that appear to be driven by schadenfreude 16,17,32 , which have an anti-social dimension.”
From A registered replication study on oxytocin and trust (2020) · cites this paper as [16]
OT might be an important component of the neuroendocrinological regulation of social relationships.
“Research in non-human primates as well as in humans (Bartz et al., 2011; De Dreu, 2012; Guastella et al., 2012; Heinrichs and Domes, 2008; Insel, 2010; MacDonald and Feifel, 2013; Meyer-Lindenberg et al., 2011) suggests that OT might be an important component of the neuroendocrinological regulation of social relationships.”
From Oxytocin and social cognition in rhesus macaques: Implications for understanding and treating human psychopathology (2014) · cites this paper as De Dreu, 2012
OXT has been emphasized as an important regulator of fairness, trust, cooperation, and competition in humans.
“OXT has been emphasized as an important regulator of fairness, trust, cooperation, and competition in humans (De Dreu, 2012; Kosfeld, Heinrichs, Zak, Fischbacher, & Fehr, 2005; Radke & De Bruijn, 2012; Zak, Stanton, & Ahmadi, 2007).”
From Inequity aversion strategies between marmosets are influenced by partner familiarity and sex but not by oxytocin (2016) · cites this paper as De Dreu, 2012
The relationship between OXT and prosociality is highly sensitive to social context, especially with regard to the relationship quality between social partners.
“These studies in humans strongly reinforce the view that the relationship between OXT and prosociality is highly sensitive to social context, especially with regard to the relationship quality between social partners (De Dreu, 2012; Everett, Faber, Crockett, & De Dreu, 2015).”
From Inequity aversion strategies between marmosets are influenced by partner familiarity and sex but not by oxytocin (2016) · cites this paper as De Dreu, 2012

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Oxytocin Attenuates Affective Evaluations of Conditioned Faces and Amygdala Activity
Petrovic, P., Kalisch, R., Singer, T., & Dolan, R. J. (2008) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.4572-07.2008 · Cited by 424 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Results showed that oxytocin reduced the activation of the amygdala and attenuated its coupling to brainstem centers responsible for autonomic and behavioral components of fear (see also Petrovic et al., 2008).”
Neural correlates of feeling sympathy
Decety, J., & Chaminade, T. (2002) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/s0028-3932(02)00143-4 · Cited by 412 · see citing works
Oxytocin Makes a Face in Memory Familiar
Rimmele, U., Hediger, K., Heinrichs, M., & Klaver, P. (2009) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.4260-08.2009 · Cited by 402 · see citing works
The Neural Substrates of In-Group Bias
Bavel, J. J. V., Packer, D. J., & Cunningham, W. A. (2008) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02214.x · Cited by 387 · see citing works
What We Know Now About Bias and Intergroup Conflict, the Problem of the Century
Fiske, S. T. (2002) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-8721.00183 · Cited by 384 · see citing works
Oxytocin, vasopressin and sociality
CARTER, C., GRIPPO, A., POURNAJAFINAZARLOO, H., RUSCIO, M., & PORGES, S. (2008) · Progress in Brain Research · doi:10.1016/s0079-6123(08)00427-5 · Cited by 380 · see citing works
Intergroup Bias
Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (2010) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9780470561119.socpsy002029 · Cited by 367 · see citing works
Oxytocin modulates amygdala, insula, and inferior frontal gyrus responses to infant crying: a randomized controlled trial
Riem, M. M. E., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., Pieper, S., Tops, M., Boksem, M. A. S., Vermeiren, R. R. J. M., van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Rombouts, S. A. R. B. (2011) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.02.006 · Cited by 366 · see citing works
Intergroup conflict: individual, group, and collective interests
Bornstein, G. (2003) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr0702_129-145 · Cited by 365 · see citing works
The role of social cognition in decision making
Frith, C. D., & Singer, T. (2008) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0156 · Cited by 361 · see citing works
“In-Group Love” and “Out-Group Hate” as Motives for Individual Participation in Intergroup Conflict: A New Game Paradigm
Halevy, N., Bornstein, G., & Sagiv, L. (2008) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02100.x · Cited by 355 · see citing works
Oxytocin and cooperation under conditions of uncertainty: the modulating role of incentives and social information.
Declerck, C. H., Boone, C., & Kiyonari, T. (2010) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.01.006 · Cited by 331 · see citing works
Beyond the group mind: A quantitative review of the interindividual-intergroup discontinuity effect.
Wildschut, T., Pinter, B., Vevea, J. L., Insko, C. A., & Schopler, J. (2003) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.698 · Cited by 327 · see citing works
Oxytocin and social perception: oxytocin increases perceived facial trustworthiness and attractiveness
Theodoridou, A., Rowe, A. C., Penton-Voak, I. S., & Rogers, P. J. (2009) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.03.019 · Cited by 318 · see citing works
Engineering altruism: a theoretical and experimental investigation of anonymity and gift giving
Burnham, T. C. (2002) · Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization · doi:10.1016/s0167-2681(02)00044-6 · Cited by 306 · see citing works
Effects of intranasal oxytocin and vasopressin on cooperative behavior and associated brain activity in men
Rilling, J. K., DeMarco, A. C., Hackett, P. D., Thompson, R., Ditzen, B., Patel, R., & Pagnoni, G. (2012) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.07.013 · Cited by 303 · see citing works
The oxytocin receptor (OXTR) contributes to prosocial fund allocations in the dictator game and the social value orientations task
Israel, S., Lerer, E., Shalev, I., Uzefovsky, F., Riebold, M., Laiba, E., Bachner-Melman, R., Maril, A., Bornstein, G., Knafo, A., et al. (2009) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005535 · Cited by 278 · see citing works
Convergent and divergent responses to emotional displays of ingroup and outgroup.
van der Schalk, J., Fischer, A., Doosje, B., Wigboldus, D., Hawk, S., Rotteveel, M., & Hess, U. (2011) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0022582 · Cited by 275 · see citing works
Effects of oxytocin and prosocial behavior on brain responses to direct and vicariously experienced pain.
Singer, T., Snozzi, R., Bird, G., Petrovic, P., Silani, G., Heinrichs, M., & Dolan, R. J. (2008) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0014195 · Cited by 248 · see citing works
Recognition systems and biological organization: The perception component of social recognition
Mateo, J. M. (2004) · Annales Zoologici Fennici · Cited by 238 · see citing works
The Neural Circuitry of a Broken Promise
Baumgärtner, T., Fischbacher, U., Feierabend, A., Lutz, K., & Fehr, E. (2009) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2009.11.017 · Cited by 237 · see citing works
The Role of Oxytocin in Human Affect: A Novel Hypothesis
Kemp, A. H., & Guastella, A. J. (2011) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0963721411417547 · Cited by 228 · see citing works
Social groups that elicit disgust are differentially processed in mPFC
Harris, L. T., & Fiske, S. T. (2007) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsl037 · Cited by 224 · see citing works
Intranasal oxytocin increases fathers’ observed responsiveness during play with their children: A double-blind within-subject experiment
Naber, F., van IJzendoorn, M. H., Deschamps, P., van Engeland, H., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2010) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.04.007 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
The mechanisms of kin discrimination and the evolution of kin recognition in vertebrates: a critical re-evaluation
Tang‐Martínez, Z. (2001) · Behavioural Processes · doi:10.1016/s0376-6357(00)00148-0 · Cited by 220 · see citing works
Functional relations of empathy and mentalizing: An fMRI study on the neural basis of cognitive empathy
Schnell, K., Bluschke, S., Konradt, B., & Walter, H. (2011) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.08.024 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
Oxytocin makes people trusting, not gullible
Mikolajczak, M., Gross, J. J., Lane, A., Corneille, O., de Timary, P., & Luminet, O. (2010) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797610377343 · Cited by 216 · see citing works
"Me versus just us versus us all" categorization and cooperation in nested social dilemmas.
Wit, A. P., & Kerr, N. L. (2002) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.83.3.616 · Cited by 214 · see citing works
An intrinsic vasopressin system in the olfactory bulb is involved in social recognition
Tobin, V. A., Hashimoto, H., Wacker, D. W., Takayanagi, Y., Langnaese, K., Caquineau, C., Noack, J., Landgraf, R., Onaka, T., Leng, G., et al. (2010) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature08826 · Cited by 213 · see citing works
Intergroup Relations
Yzerbyt, V. Y., & Demoulin, S. (2010) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9780470561119.socpsy002028 · Cited by 198 · see citing works
False friends are worse than bitter enemies
Shinada, M., Yamagishi, T., & Ohmura, Y. (2004) · Evolution and Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2004.08.001 · Cited by 194 · see citing works
The effect of intranasal administration of oxytocin on fear recognition
Fischer-Shofty, M., Shamay-Tsoory, S. G., Harari, H., & Levkovitz, Y. (2010) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.09.003 · Cited by 184 · see citing works
Between-group competition and human cooperation
Puurtinen, M., & Mappes, T. (2008) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.1060 · Cited by 184 · see citing works
Cultural transmission and the evolution of cooperative behavior
Boyd, R. T., & Richerson, P. J. (1982) · Human Ecology · doi:10.1007/bf01531189 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Social value orientations and the strategic use of fairness in ultimatum bargaining
van Dijk, E., Cremer, D. D., & Handgraaf, M. J. J. (2004) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2004.03.002 · Cited by 174 · see citing works
Monetary sacrifice among strangers is mediated by endogenous oxytocin release after physical contact
MORHENN, V, PARK, J., PIPER, E., & ZAK, P. (2008) · Evolution and Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2008.04.004 · Cited by 158 · see citing works
Social distance modulates recipient's fairness consideration in the dictator game: An ERP study
Wu, Y., Leliveld, M. C., & Zhou, X. (2011) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2011.08.009 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
Prolactin, Oxytocin, and the development of paternal behavior across the first six months of fatherhood
Gordon, I., Zagoory‐Sharon, O., Leckman, J. F., & Feldman, R. (2010) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.04.007 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Experimental peripheral administration of oxytocin elevates a suite of cooperative behaviours in a wild social mammal
Madden, J. R., & Clutton-Brock, T. H. (2011) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.1675 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Intranasal oxytocin modulates EEG mu/alpha and beta rhythms during perception of biological motion
Perry, A., Bentin, S., Shalev, I., Israel, S., Uzefovsky, F., Bar-On, D., & Ebstein, R. P. (2010) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.04.011 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Social Conflict: The Emergence and Consequences of Struggle and Negotiation
Dreu, C. K. W. D. (2010) · doi:10.1002/9780470561119.socpsy002027 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
Oxytocin not only increases trust when money is at stake, but also when confidential information is in the balance
Mikolajczak, M., Pinon, N., Lane, A., de Timary, P., & Luminet, O. (2010) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2010.05.010 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
A reparameterization of the prisoner's dilemma game
Coombs, C. H. (1973) · Systems Research and Behavioral Science · doi:10.1002/bs.3830180605 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
The Quadruple Process model approach to examining the neural underpinnings of prejudice
Beer, J. S., Stallen, M., Lombardo, M. V., Gonsalkorale, K., Cunningham, W. A., & Sherman, J. W. (2008) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.08.033 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
No Association between Oxytocin Receptor (OXTR) Gene Polymorphisms and Experimentally Elicited Social Preferences
Apicella, C. L., Cesarini, D. A., Johannesson, M., Dawes, C. T., Lichtenstein, P., Wallace, B., Beauchamp, J. P., & Westberg, L. (2010) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011153 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Oxytocin decreases aversion to angry faces in an associative learning task
Evans, S., Shergill, S. S., & Averbeck, B. B. (2010) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2010.110 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
The role of the left inferior frontal gyrus in social perception: An rTMS study
Keuken, M. C., Hardie, A., Dorn, B. T., Dev, S. I., Paulus, M. P., Jonas, K. J., van den Wildenberg, W. P. M., & Pineda, J. A. (2011) · Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2011.01.073 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Acute effects of intranasal oxytocin on subjective and behavioral responses to social rejection.
Alvares, G. A., Hickie, I. B., & Guastella, A. J. (2010) · Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1037/a0019719 · Cited by 92 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Likewise, individuals given oxytocin rather than placebo were more willing to interact again with others who previously included the participant in a ball-tossing game, but not with others who previously ostracized the individual (Alvares et al., 2010; also see Andari et al., 2010).”
The American soldier: Combat and its aftermath. (Studies in social psychology in World War II), Vol. 2
Stouffer, S. A., Lumsdaine, A. A., Lumsdaine, M. H., Williams, R. M., Smith, M. B., Janis, I. L., Star, S. A., & Cottrell, L. S. (1949) · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Oxytocin enhances the perception of biological motion in humans
Kéri, S., & Benedek, G. (2009) · Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/cabn.9.3.237 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
The role of situational restrictiveness on self-fulfilling prophecies: A theoretical and empirical extension of Kelley and Stahelski's triangle hypothesis.
Miller, D. T., & Holmes, J. G. (1975) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0077081 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Oxytocin and the oxytocin receptor underlie intrastrain, but not interstrain, social recognition
Macbeth, A. H., Lee, H. ‐., Edds, J., & Young, W. S. (2009) · Genes, Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1111/j.1601-183x.2009.00506.x · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Oxytocin response in a trust game and habituation of arousal
Kéri, S., & Kiss, I. (2010) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.11.011 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
On the Automatic Evaluation of Social Exemplars.
Castelli, L., Zogmaister, C., Smith, E. R., & Arcuri, L. (2004) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.86.3.373 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Competing with peers: Mentalizing-related brain activity reflects what is at stake
Halko, M., Hlushchuk, Y., Hari, R., & Schürmann, M. (2009) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.063 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Intergroup Negotiations
Polzer, J. T. (1996) · Journal of Conflict Resolution · doi:10.1177/0022002796040004008 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Sociality, pathogen avoidance, and the neuropeptides oxytocin and arginine vasopressin
Kavaliers, M., & Choleris, E. (2011) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797611420576 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Oxytocin modulates selection of allies in intergroup conflict
Dreu, C. K. W. D., Greer, L. L., Handgraaf, M. J. J., Shalvi, S., & Kleef, G. A. V. (2011) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2011.1444 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
People avoid situations that enable them to deceive others
Shalvi, S., Handgraaf, M. J. J., & Dreu, C. K. W. D. (2011) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2011.04.015 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Erratum to “Neuropeptidergic regulation of affiliative behavior and social bonding in animals” [Horm. Behav. 50 (2006) 506–517]
Lim, M. M., & Young, L. J. (2006) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.11.003 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Oxytocin and intergroup relations: Goodwill is not a fixed pie
Chen, F. S., Kumsta, R., & Heinrichs, M. (2011) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1101633108 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Disruption of Fear Memory Through Dual-Hormone Gene Therapy
Rodrigues, S. M., & Sapolsky, R. M. (2008) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.09.003 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
The Sharp End of Altruism
Arrow, H. (2007) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1150316 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Reply to Chen et al.: Perhaps goodwill is unlimited but oxytocin-induced goodwill is not
Dreu, C. K. W. D., Greer, L. L., Kleef, G. A. V., Shalvi, S., & Handgraaf, M. J. J. (2011) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1102269108 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Lethal Altruists
Tobeña, A. (2009) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04542.x · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Value priorities and subjective well-being: Direct relations and congruity effects
Sagiv, L., & Schwartz, S. H. (2000) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-0992(200003/04)30:2

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2 of the 144 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Sorted by citations

Ingroup favoritism in cooperation: a meta-analysis
Balliet, D., Wu, J., & De Dreu, C. K. W. (2014) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0037737 · Cited by 1,126 · see citing works
“At the same time, however, such intergroup bias may also create feelings of deprivation and resentment in outgroups, who may respond with hostility toward the discriminating ingroup (De Dreu, 2012; Dovidio & Gaertner, 2010; Fiske, 2002; Wildschut, Pinter, Vevea, Insko, & Schopler, 2003).”
Background
Oxytocin pathways and the evolution of human behavior
Carter, C. S. (2014) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115110 · Cited by 714 · see citing works
“…conducted in individuals with a history of personal adversity, suggest that in some contexts exogenous oxytocin can have asocial or negative consequences (Bartz et al. 2011), including increasing the perception of threat in the presence of individuals from other social groups (De Dreu 2012).”
Background
Survival of the Friendliest: <i>Homo sapiens</i> Evolved via Selection for Prosociality
Hare, B. (2017) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010416-044201 · Cited by 444 · see citing works
“In economic games, intranasal oxytocin also reduces the likelihood of men to cooperate with out-group members when they become a threat to in-group members (De Dreu 2012, De Dreu et al. 2010, De Dreu & Kret 2016).”
Background
Is oxytocin “nature’s medicine”
Carter, C. S., Kenkel, W. M., MacLean, E. L., Wilson, S. R., Perkeybile, A. M., Yee, J. R., Ferris, C. F., Nazarloo, H. P., Porges, S. W., Davis, J. M., et al. (2020) · Pharmacological Reviews · doi:10.1124/pr.120.019398 · Cited by 394 · see citing works
“However, the behavioral effects of oxytocin have been questioned by complex findings from those studies, as detailed in many reviews (De Dreu, 2012; Macdonald and Feifel, 2013; Bethlehem et al., 2014; Bernaerts et al., 2017; Hurlemann and Grinevich, 2018).”
Sex differences in the neural and behavioral response to intranasal oxytocin and vasopressin during human social interaction
Rilling, J. K., DeMarco, A. C., Hackett, P. D., Chen, X., Gautam, P., Stair, S., Haroon, E., Thompson, R., Ditzen, B., Patel, R., et al. (2014) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.09.022 · Cited by 343 · see citing works
The Neuroscience of Intergroup Relations
Cikara, M., & Bavel, J. J. V. (2014) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691614527464 · Cited by 354 · see citing works
“Thus, by some accounts, oxytocin’s facilitation of this response is largely parochial, leading to in-group favoritism and ethnocentric behavior (De Dreu, 2012).”
The Evolution of Altruism in Humans
Kurzban, R., Burton-Chellew, M. N., & West, S. A. (2014) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015355 · Cited by 316 · see citing works
“This work on how hormone levels are affected by interactions in the laboratory has now been supplemented by exciting work investigating how hormones affect behavior (de Dreu 2012).”
Background
Oxytocin Modulates Social Distance between Males and Females
Scheele, D., Striepens, N., Güntürkün, O., Deutschländer, S., Maier, W., Kendrick, K. M., & Hurlemann, R. (2012) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.2755-12.2012 · Cited by 298 · see citing works
“…(Hurlemann et al., 2010; Kemp and Guastella, 2011; Striepens et al., 2011), although this can be context- and person-dependent (Bartz et al., 2011), since OXT can also promote risk aversion (Declerck et al., 2010) and noncooperation toward individuals perceived as outsiders (De Dreu, 2012).”
Background
Oxytocin conditions intergroup relations through upregulated in-group empathy, cooperation, conformity, and defense
De Dreu, C. K. W., & Kret, M. E. (2016) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.03.020 · Cited by 297 · see citing works
“Together, these findings point to a recursive and reinforcing cycle between positive within-group exchange on the one hand and oxytocin release on the other (52).”
Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: Brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers
Swain, J. E., Kim, P., Spicer, J., Ho, S. S., Dayton, C. J., Elmadih, A., & Abel, K. M. (2014) · Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2014.03.007 · Cited by 290 · see citing works
Oxytocin-Motivated Ally Selection is Moderated by Fetal Testosterone Exposure and Empathic Concern
Kret, M. E., & Dreu, C. K. W. D. (2013) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2013.00001 · Cited by 288 · see citing works
“…and this in turn may be driven by the same neurobiological circuitries as other forms of group-serving behaviors such as parochial altruism, social attachment, and parental care (Madden and Clutton-Brock, 2011; De Dreu, 2012a). al., 2005; Ludwig and Leng, 2006; Donaldson and Young, 2008).”
Influential
Pharmacological, neural, and psychological mechanisms underlying psychedelics: A critical review
van Elk, M., & Yaden, D. B. (2022) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104793 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
“Oxytocin often increases trust, willingness to cooperate, and prosocial tendencies (De Dreu, 2012), though possibly only for in-group members (De Dreu and Kret, 2016).”
Oxytocin promotes group-serving dishonesty
Shalvi, S., & Dreu, C. K. W. D. (2014) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1400724111 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Oxytocin reactivity during intergroup conflict in wild chimpanzees
Samuni, L., Preis, A., Mundry, R., Deschner, T., Crockford, C., & Wittig, R. M. (2017) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1616812114 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
“The anxiolytic effect of oxytocin is proposed to facilitate social cohesion during highly risky situations that might otherwise precipitate defection away from threat (4).”
Influential
Twenty-Five Lessons from Computational Neuromodulation
Dayan, P. (2012) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2012.09.027 · Cited by 190 · see citing works
“…might themselves be directly sensitive to motivational state—for instance, it has been suggested that the amygdala’s sensitivity to the neuromodulator oxytocin will change its responding in the face of social threats or opportunities (De Dreu, 2012), and this could affect dopamine responding.”
Endogenous peripheral oxytocin measures can give insight into the dynamics of social relationships: a review
Crockford, C., Deschner, T., Ziegler, T. E., & Wittig, R. M. (2014) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00068 · Cited by 187 · see citing works
Oxytocin, testosterone, and human social cognition
Crespi, B. J. (2015) · Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · doi:10.1111/brv.12175 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
“…of either actual Biological Reviews 91 (2016) 390–408 © 2015 Cambridge Philosophical Society families, or ‘psychological kinship’ (Bailey & Wood, 1998) systems of direct and indirect reciprocity (Alexander, 1987; Zak & Barraza, 2013), in each case generating ‘us and them’ dynamics (De Dreu, 2012).”
Influential
The Oxytocin–Vasopressin Pathway in the Context of Love and Fear
Carter, C. S. (2017) · Frontiers in Endocrinology · doi:10.3389/fendo.2017.00356 · Cited by 162 · see citing works
Roles of Oxytocin in Stress Responses, Allostasis and Resilience
Takayanagi, Y., & Onaka, T. (2021) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms23010150 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Why social attachment and oxytocin protect against addiction and stress: Insights from the dynamics between ventral and dorsal corticostriatal systems
Mattie Tops, A., Koole, S. L., IJzerman, H., & Buisman‐Pijlman, F. T. A. (2013) · Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2013.07.015 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Elevated salivary levels of oxytocin persist more than 7 h after intranasal administration
van IJzendoorn, M. H., Bhandari, R., van der Veen, R., Grewen, K. M., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2012) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2012.00174 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Oxytocin modulates the racial Bias in neural responses to others' suffering
Sheng, F., Liu, Y., Zhou, B., Zhou, W., & Han, S. (2013) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.11.018 · Cited by 139 · see citing works
A registered replication study on oxytocin and trust
Declerck, C. H., Boone, C., Pauwels, L., Vogt, B., & Fehr, E. (2020) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-020-0878-x · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Dear enemies or nasty neighbors? Causes and consequences of variation in the responses of group-living species to territorial intrusions
Christensen, C., & Radford, A. N. (2018) · Behavioral Ecology · doi:10.1093/beheco/ary010 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
“Hormones are known to affect and be affected by a variety of social challenges in a range of species, and to be generally important in recognition, territorial aggression, stress, and behavioral interactions (De Dreu 2012; Oliveira and Oliveira 2014).”
Background
Human Identity and the Evolution of Societies
Moffett, M. (2013) · Human Nature · doi:10.1007/s12110-013-9170-3 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
“Ingroup favoritism and defense appear to have a neurobiological basis, being enhanced by the neuropeptide oxytocin, which promotes trust by dampening amygdala activity and up-regulates circuitries involved in empathy (De Dreu 2011; De Dreu et al. 2010, 2011).”
On the deep structure of social affect: Attitudes, emotions, sentiments, and the case of “contempt”
Gervais, M. M., & Fessler, D. M. T. (2016) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x16000352 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
Oxytocin, vasopressin, and the motivational forces that drive social behaviors
Caldwell, H. K., & Albers, H. E. (2015) · Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2015_390 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
Oxytocin as an Indicator of Psychological and Social Well-Being in Domesticated Animals: A Critical Review
Rault, J., van den Munkhof, M. H., & Buisman‐Pijlman, F. T. A. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01521 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
“Altogether, these findings are consistent with the in-group vs. out of group OT theory in humans (De Dreu, 2012), with OT’s positive actions toward existing social partners and negative actions toward unfamiliar partners.”
Result
Does intranasal oxytocin promote prosocial behavior to an excluded fellow player? A randomized-controlled trial with Cyberball
Riem, M. M. E., Bakermans‐Kranenburg, M. J., Huffmeijer, R., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2013) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.12.023 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
“It has been suggested that oxytocin upregulates behavioral expressions of concern for others more strongly if the other belongs to the in-group (De Dreu, 2012).”
Revisiting the form and function of conflict: Neurobiological, psychological, and cultural mechanisms for attack and defense within and between groups
Dreu, C. K. W. D., & Gross, J. (2018) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x18002170 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Cognitive neuroscience of social emotions and implications for psychopathology: Examining embarrassment, guilt, envy, and schadenfreude
Jankowski, K. F., & Takahashi, H. (2014) · Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences · doi:10.1111/pcn.12182 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Intranasal oxytocin, but not vasopressin, augments neural responses to toddlers in human fathers
Li, T., Chen, X., Mascaro, J., Haroon, E., & Rilling, J. K. (2017) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.01.006 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Sex differences in depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period
Sundström Poromaa, I., Comasco, E., Georgakis, M. K., & Skalkidou, A. (2017) · Journal of Neuroscience Research · doi:10.1002/jnr.23859 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Oxytocin is associated with infant-care behavior and motivation in cooperatively breeding marmoset monkeys
Finkenwirth, C., Martins, E. G., Deschner, T., & Burkart, J. M. (2016) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.01.008 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
“This result is surprising given that OT typically shows a positive rather than negative association with affiliative behaviors (Crockford et al., 2013; Insel, 2010; Snowdon et al., 2010; but see Bartz et al., 2011; De Dreu, 2012; Mustoe et al., 2015).”
Be kind to others: Prosocial behaviours and their implications for animal welfare
Rault, J. (2018) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2018.10.015 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
When the Love Hormone Leads to Violence: Oxytocin Increases Intimate Partner Violence Inclinations Among High Trait Aggressive People
DeWall, C. N., Gillath, O., Pressman, S. D., Black, L. L., Bartz, J. A., Moskovitz, J., & Stetler, D. A. (2014) · Social Psychological and Personality Science · doi:10.1177/1948550613516876 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
“To investigate whether oxytocin may play a role in IPV inclinations, we adopted an interactionist approach drawn from human research on nonromantic relationships (Bartz, Zaki, et al., 2011; also see De Dreu, 2012).”
Method
Self-reported spirituality correlates with endogenous oxytocin.
Holbrook, C., Hahn‐Holbrook, J., & Holt‐Lunstad, J. (2014) · Psychology of Religion and Spirituality · doi:10.1037/a0038255 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
“…motivates parochial cooperation and empathy with in-group members over out-group members, increases defensive aggression on behalf of in-groups (De Dreu, 2012), and has been implicated in heightened maternal aggression in defense of children (Hahn-Holbrook, Holt-Lunstad, Holbrook, Coyne, &…”
Background
Parochial cooperation in humans: forms and functions of self-sacrifice in intergroup conflict
Dreu, C. D. D., Balliet, D., & Halevy, N. (2014) · Advances in motivation science · doi:10.1016/bs.adms.2014.08.001 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
“Importantly, these two functions transcend mammalian species, and have been documented in voles, rats, sheep, and (non)human primates (Carter, 2014; De Dreu, 2012; Donaldson & Young, 2008).”
BackgroundInfluential
Neural substrates underlying the effects of oxytocin: a quantitative meta-analysis of pharmaco-imaging studies
Wang, D., Yan, X., Li, M., & Ma, Y. (2017) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsx085 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
“IN-OT has been reliably shown to improve facial emotional recognition (e.g. Guastella et al., 2008; Marsh et al., 2010; Domes et al., 2014) and to promote in-group cooperation (e.g. De Dreu et al., 2010, 2011; De Dreu, 2012; Ma et al., 2015a).”
Background
Antiaggressive activity of central oxytocin in male rats
Calcagnoli, F., de Boer, S. F., Althaus, M., den Boer, J. A., & Koolhaas, J. M. (2013) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-013-3124-7 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Links between the neurobiology of oxytocin and human musicality
Harvey, A. R. (2020) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2020.00350 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
“…(anxiolytic effects; e.g., Kosfeld et al., 2005; Baumgartner et al., 2008; Ditzen et al., 2009; Strathearn et al., 2009; Hurlemann et al., 2010; De Dreu, 2012; Fischer-Shofty et al., 2012; Tops et al., 2013; Bethlehem et al., 2014; Preckel et al., 2014; ShamayTsoory and Abu-Akel, 2016; Feldman,…”
Background
The influence of oxytocin administration on responses to infant faces and potential moderation by OXTR genotype
Marsh, A. A., Yu, H. H., Pine, D. S., Gorodetsky, E. K., Goldman, D., & Blair, R. J. R. (2012) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-012-2775-0 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
“In nonhuman animals, oxytocin actually promotes aggression toward intruders (Pedersen 2004), and in humans, it increases negative emotions , like envy and gloating, toward competitors (Shamay- Tsoory et al. 2009) and aggressive behavior toward outgroup members (De Dreu 2012).”
The cooperative sex: Sexual interactions among female bonobos are linked to increases in oxytocin, proximity and coalitions
Moscovice, L. R., Surbeck, M., Fruth, B., Hohmann, G., Jaeggi, A. V., & Deschner, T. (2019) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104581 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
“In humans (De Dreu, 2012; Nagasawa et al., 2009) and chimpanzees (Samuni et al., 2017), there is evidence that the OT system has been co-opted outside of maternal and reproductive contexts to facilitate cooperation with a broader range of social partners (reviewed in Trumble et al., 2015).”
Background
Local oxytocin expression and oxytocin receptor binding in the male rat brain is associated with aggressiveness
Calcagnoli, F., de Boer, S. F., Beiderbeck, D. I., Althaus, M., Koolhaas, J. M., & Neumann, I. D. (2014) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2013.12.050 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Oxytocin Motivates Non-Cooperation in Intergroup Conflict to Protect Vulnerable In-Group Members
Dreu, C. K. W. D., Shalvi, S., Greer, L. L., Kleef, G. A. V., & Handgraaf, M. J. J. (2012) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0046751 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
“As shown here, and elsewhere [17,36,40,49], oxytocin appears pivotal in up-regulating the human response to (arbitrary) in-group/outgroup distinctions, shifting the focus from protecting and promoting oneself towards protecting and promoting the (members of the) in-group [50].”
Editorial comment: Oxytocin, vasopressin and social behavior
Young, L. J., & Flanagan-Cato, L. M. (2012) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.02.019 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Oxytocin and behavior: lessons from knockout mice
Caldwell, H. K., Aulino, E. A., Freeman, A. R., Miller, T. V., & Witchey, S. K. (2017) · Developmental Neurobiology · doi:10.1002/dneu.22431 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Associations between glucocorticoids and sociality across a continuum of vertebrate social behavior
Raulo, A., & Dantzer, B. (2018) · Ecology and Evolution · doi:10.1002/ece3.4059 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
“Because group- level cooperation is associated with out- group competition, GCs might trigger increases in social behavior toward group members and aggression/avoidance toward other individuals at the same time (sensu De Dreu, 2012).”
Background
Estrogenic involvement in social learning, social recognition and pathogen avoidance
Choleris, E., Clipperton‐Allen, A. E., Phan, A., Valsecchi, P., & Kavaliers, M. (2012) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2012.02.001 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
“There is accumulating evidence that OT is associated with detection of and response to socially salient stimuli, fostering behavioral responses that may range from social recognition to social avoidance and bias [69,154].”
Antisocial oxytocin: Complex effects on social behavior
Beery, A. K. (2015) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.11.006 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
The other side of the coin: oxytocin decreases the adherence to fairness norms
Radke, S., & de Bruijn, E. R. A. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00193 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Oxytocin makes females, but not males, less forgiving following betrayal of trust
Yao, S., Zhao, W., Cheng, R., Geng, Y., Luo, L., & Kendrick, K. M. (2014) · The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1017/s146114571400090x · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Empathy, Target Distress, and Neurohormone Genes Interact to Predict Aggression for Others–Even Without Provocation
Buffone, A. E. K., & Poulin, M. J. (2014) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167214549320 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
“In addition, De Dreu and colleagues have found that oxytocin administration facilitates ingroup favoritism that implicitly disfavors highly threatening outgroups (De Dreu, 2012; De Dreu et al., 2010; Shalvi & De Dreu, 2014).”
Background
Oxytocin and social cognition in rhesus macaques: Implications for understanding and treating human psychopathology
Chang, S. W. C., & Platt, M. L. (2014) · Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2013.11.006 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
“Research in non-human primates as well as in humans (Bartz et al., 2011; De Dreu, 2012; Guastella et al., 2012; Heinrichs and Domes, 2008; Insel, 2010; MacDonald and Feifel, 2013; Meyer- Lindenberg et al., 2011) suggests that OT might be an important component of the neuroendocrinological…”
Exogenous effects of oxytocin in five psychiatric disorders: a systematic review, meta-analyses and a personalized approach through the lens of the social salience hypothesis
Peled‐Avron, L., Abu-Akel, A. M., & Shamay‐Tsoory, S. (2020) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.04.023 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Emotions on the loose: emotional contagion and the role of oxytocin in pigs
Reimert, I., Bolhuis, J. E., Kemp, B., & Rodenburg, T. B. (2014) · Animal Cognition · doi:10.1007/s10071-014-0820-6 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
“…effects on brain regions such as the amygdala, anterior insula, anterior cingulate cortex, inferior frontal gyrus and inferior parietal lobe (De Dreu 2012; Sofroniew 1983; Zink and Meyer-Lindenberg 2012), all of which seem to be involved in emotional contagion in humans (Bastiaansen et al.…”
Background
Oxytocin promotes intuitive rather than deliberated cooperation with the in-group
Ten Velden, F. S., Daughters, K., & De Dreu, C. K. W. (2017) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.06.005 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
“Indeed, work in our laboratory, and that of others, has linked in-group biased group psychology to the evolutionary ancient and structurally preserved neuropeptide oxytocin (for reviews see De Dreu, 2012; De Dreu and Kret, 2016).”
Neurobiological underpinnings of dogs’ human-like social competence: How interactions between stress response systems and oxytocin mediate dogs’ social skills
Buttner, A. P. (2016) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.029 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Sex- and context-dependent effects of oxytocin on social sharing
Ma, X., Zhao, W., Luo, R., Zhou, F., Geng, Y., Xu, L., Gao, Z., Zheng, X., Becker, B., & Kendrick, K. M. (2018) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.004 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
“For example, OXT specifically enhances in-group favoritism and parochial cooperation (De Dreu, 2012; Ma et al., 2014) and in-group conformity (Stallen et al., 2012).”
SOCIAL NORMS AND HUMAN NORMATIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Kelly, D., & Davis, T. (2018) · Social Philosophy and Policy · doi:10.1017/s0265052518000122 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Oxytocin and Memory of Emotional Stimuli: Some Dance to Remember, Some Dance to Forget
Maroun, M., & Wagner, S. (2015) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.07.016 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
A role for autonomic cardiac control in the effects of oxytocin on social behavior and psychiatric illness
Quintana, D. S., Kemp, A. H., Alvares, G. A., & Guastella, A. J. (2013) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2013.00048 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
“…been found to modulate social distance between males and females (Scheele et al., 2012), increase memory for facial identity (Savaskan et al., 2008), increase attention to social cues (Leknes et al., 2012), motivate in-group cooperation (De Dreu, 2012), and increase generosity (Zak et al., 2007).”
Background
Do marmosets care to share? Oxytocin treatment reduces prosocial behavior toward strangers
Mustoe, A. C., Cavanaugh, J., Harnisch, A. M., Thompson, B. E., & French, J. A. (2015) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.04.015 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
“Rather, the effect of OXT on modulating social behavior appears to be shaped by the nature of the social context during social interactions, and OXT is likely involved in general processing of social stimuli (Bartz et al., 2011; Bethlehem et al., 2014; De Dreu, 2012).”
Medial amygdala lesions modify aggressive behavior and immediate early gene expression in oxytocin and vasopressin neurons during intermale exposure
Wang, Y., He, Z., Zhao, C., & Li, L. (2013) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2013.02.002 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Intranasally administered oxytocin affects how dogs (Canis familiaris) react to the threatening approach of their owner and an unfamiliar experimenter
Hernádi, A., Kis, A., Kanizsàr, O., Tóth, K., Miklósi, B., & Topál, J. (2015) · Behavioural Processes · doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2015.07.001 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Current findings on the role of oxytocin in the regulation of food intake
Spetter, M. S., & Hallschmid, M. (2017) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.03.007 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Opposing Oxytocin Effects on Intergroup Cooperative Behavior in Intuitive and Reflective Minds
Ma, Y., Liu, Y., Rand, D. G., Heatherton, T. F., & Han, S. (2015) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2015.87 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Oxytocin sharpens self-other perceptual boundary
Colonnello, V., Chen, F. S., Panksepp, J., & Heinrichs, M. (2013) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.08.010 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
“For example, stronger oxytocin effects have been found toward in-group than out-group members (Chen et al., 2011; De Dreu, 2012; De Dreu et al., 2012).”
Between-Group Competition Impacts Reproductive Success in Wild Chimpanzees
Lemoine, S. R. T., Preis, A., Samuni, L., Boesch, C., Crockford, C., & Wittig, R. M. (2020) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.039 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Marmosets as model species in neuroscience and evolutionary anthropology
Burkart, J. M., & Finkenwirth, C. (2014) · Neuroscience Research · doi:10.1016/j.neures.2014.09.003 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Intranasal oxytocin enhances stress-protective effects of social support in women with negative childhood experiences during a virtual Trier Social Stress Test
Riem, M. M. E., Kunst, L. E., Bekker, M. H. J., Fallon, M., & Kupper, N. (2019) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104482 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
“This finding is in line with research showing paradoxical oxytocin effects, with beneficial effects in safe and supportive settings, but defensive responding and anxiety-enhancing effects in the context of threat (De Dreu, 2012; Grillon et al., 2012).”
Result
Social motives in intergroup conflict: Group identity and perceived target of threat
Weisel, O., & Zultan, R. (2016) · European Economic Review · doi:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2016.01.004 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
“…as manifested in high pro-sociality, is inherently parochial and rooted in intergroup conflict, which gains theoretical support from evolutionary models and simulations (Bowles, 2008; Choi and Bowles, 2007), as well as empirical support from hormonal studies (De Dreu, 2012; De Dreu et al., 2011).”
Hypopituitarism is associated with lower oxytocin concentrations and reduced empathic ability
Daughters, K., Manstead, A. S. R., & Rees, A. (2017) · Endocrine · doi:10.1007/s12020-017-1332-3 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Neuroendocrine Control in Social Relationships in Non-Human Primates: Field Based Evidence
Ziegler, T., & Crockford, C. (2017) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.03.004 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“Humans are apparently prone to behaving with more affiliation, generosity and trust towards in-group than out-group members, whether they are of the same nationality, tribe, school or sport team (De Dreu, 2012).”
Influential
Economic and evolutionary hypotheses for cross-population variation in parochialism
Hruschka, D. J., & Henrich, J. (2013) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00559 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
“…to identify key cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms underlying parochialism, including perceptions of threat (Reik et al., 2006) and the role of oxytocin and brain circuits in modulating behavior toward in-and out-178 group members (De Dreu et al., 2010;Baumgartner et al., 2011;De Dreu, 2012).”
Oxytocin and Food Intake Control: Neural, Behavioral, and Signaling Mechanisms
Liu, C. M., Spaulding, M. O., Rea, J. J., Noble, E. E., & Kanoski, S. E. (2021) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms221910859 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Genes underlying altruism
Thompson, G., Hurd, P. L., & Crespi, B. J. (2013) · Biology Letters · doi:10.1098/rsbl.2013.0395 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Oxytocin‐ and arginine vasopressin‐containing fibers in the cortex of humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques
Flattery, C. N. R., Ross, A. P., Sahu, S. P., Siegel, E. R., Dooyema, J. M., Cree, M. A., Stopa, E. G., Young, L. J., Rilling, J. K., Albers, H. E., et al. (2018) · American Journal of Primatology · doi:10.1002/ajp.22875 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
“The prosocial effects of OT may be context dependent and may depend on individual characteristics as well as the group status (ingroup vs. outgroup) of an interaction partner (De Dreu, 2012; Marsh et al., 2017).”
On social health: history, conceptualization, and population patterning
Doyle, D. M., & Link, B. G. (2024) · Health Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/17437199.2024.2314506 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
“Beyond its role in close relationships, the oxytocinergic system also appears to pattern intergroup behaviour and processes to some extent (De Dreu, 2012).”
Evolving the neuroendocrine physiology of human and primate cooperation and collective action
Trumble, B. C., Jaeggi, A. V., & Gurven, M. (2015) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0014 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
The Cooperative Brain
Stallen, M., & Sanfey, A. G. (2013) · The Neuroscientist · doi:10.1177/1073858412469728 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
“Also, participants typically invest more money when partners look trustworthy, with this trustworthiness assessed by an independent group of raters, indicating that participants believed that certain facial cues were predictive of the reciprocation of trust (Chang and others 2010; van’t Wout and…”
Threatening joy: Approach and avoidance reactions to emotions are influenced by the group membership of the expresser
Paulus, A., & Wentura, D. (2013) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699931.2013.849659 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“Additionally, intergroup situations are often characterised by competition between the members of the two groups (e.g., Campbell, 1965; De Dreu, 2012; Deutsch, 1949; Sassenberg, Moskowitz, Jacoby, & Hansen, 2007; Tajfel, Billig, Bundy, & Flament, 1971; Tajfel & Turner, 1979), as well as…”
Background
Oxytocin, Postnatal Depression, and Parenting
Mah, B. L. (2016) · Harvard Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/hrp.0000000000000093 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
“In the past five years, various systematic reviews have summarized findings on OT and general social behavior,(46,47) social cognition,(48) behavior and affect,(49) and cooperation.(50)”
The Role of Oxytocin in Social Buffering: What Do Primate Studies Add?
Crockford, C., Deschner, T., & Wittig, R. M. (2017) · Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2017_12 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“In humans, intranasal oxytocin administration enhances in-group cooperation against an out-group (De Dreu 2012), suggesting that in-group cooperation in the face of an out-group is mediated by the oxytocin system.”
Influential
Low empathy-like behaviour in male mice associates with impaired sociability, emotional memory, physiological stress reactivity and variations in neurobiological regulations
Laviola, G., Zoratto, F., Ingiosi, D., Carito, V., Huzard, D., Fiore, M., & Macrı̀, S. (2017) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0188907 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
How do hypothalamic nonapeptides shape youth’s sociality? A systematic review on oxytocin, vasopressin and human socio-emotional development
Torres, N., Martins, D., dos Santos, A. J., Prata, D. P., & Veríssimo, M. (2018) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.05.004 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
“The results (at least for girls) are generically consistent with current theories, suggesting that OT may be involved in human in-group favouritism (De Dreu et al., 2011; De Dreu et al., 2010; De Dreu, 2012), an association that seems to be present already during childhood.”
Result
INTRANASAL OXYTOCIN ADMINISTRATION PRIOR TO EXPOSURE THERAPY FOR ARACHNOPHOBIA IMPEDES TREATMENT RESPONSE: Research Article: Intranasal Oxytocin Administration
Acheson, D. T., Feifel, D., Kamenski, M., Mckinney, R., & Risbrough, V. B. (2015) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.22362 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Oxytocin has ‘tend-and-defend’ functionality in group conflict across social vertebrates
Triki, Z., Daughters, K., & Dreu, C. K. W. D. (2022) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2021.0137 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Oxytocin increases liking for a country's people and national flag but not for other cultural symbols or consumer products
Ma, X., Luo, L., Geng, Y., Zhao, W., Zhang, Q., & Kendrick, K. M. (2014) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00266 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE published: 05 August 2014 doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00266 Oxytocin increases liking for a country’s people and national flag but not for other cultural symbols or consumer products”
Influential
The neurobiology of collective action
Zak, P. J., & Barraza, J. A. (2013) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2013.00211 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
“…empathy and promotes prosocial behaviors, including CA (for other similar reviews of the human oxytocin literature see Bartz et al., 2011; De Dreu, 2012; Feldman, 2012; Guastella and MacLeod, 2012; Kumsta and Heinrichs, 2012; Van IJzendoorn and BakermansKranenburg, 2012; Carter, 2013; for…”
Influential
The bad consequences of teamwork
Soraperra, I., Weisel, O., Zultan, R., Kochavi, S., Leib, M., Shalev, H., & Shalvi, S. (2017) · Economics Letters · doi:10.1016/j.econlet.2017.08.011 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“We do so by manipulating exposure to oxytocin, which was shown to increase pro-social behavior (De Dreu, 2012; Marsh et al., 2015).”
Background
Inequity aversion strategies between marmosets are influenced by partner familiarity and sex but not by oxytocin
Mustoe, A. C., Harnisch, A. M., Hochfelder, B., Cavanaugh, J., & French, J. A. (2016) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.01.025 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
“These studies in humans strongly reinforce the view that the relationship between OXT and prosociality is highly sensitive to social context, especially with regard to the relationship quality between social partners (De Dreu, 2012; Everett, Faber, Crockett, & De Dreu, 2015).”
Background
Chronic oxytocin administration stimulates the oxytocinergic system in children with autism
Moerkerke, M., Daniëls, N., Tibermont, L., Tang, T., Evenepoel, M., der Donck, S. V., Debbaut, E., Prinsen, J., Chubar, V., Claes, S. J., et al. (2024) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-023-44334-4 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
“In light of potential treatment applications, these observations highlight the importance of combining oxytocin administration with social stimulation (e.g. psychosocial therapy) to perpe-tuate the endogenous oxytocin feedforward-loop 27 .”
The Effect of Oxytocin on Third-Party Altruistic Decisions in Unfair Situations: An fMRI Study
Hu, Y., Scheele, D., Becker, B., Voos, G., David, B., Hurlemann, R., & Weber, B. (2016) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/srep20236 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Hormones and Hierarchies
Knight, E. L., & Mehta, P. H. (2014) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-0867-7_13 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Effects of oxytocin on behavioral and ERP measures of recognition memory for own-race and other-race faces in women and men
Herzmann, G., Bird, C. W., Freeman, M., & Curran, T. (2013) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.04.002 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
“A preference for members from subjects' own-group was found in studies investigating the effect of oxytocin on social behavior and moral decision making (De Dreu et al., 2011; Van IJzendoorn and Bakermans-Kranenburg, 2012).”
Influential
Intranasal oxytocin modulates neural functional connectivity during human social interaction
Rilling, J. K., Chen, X., Chen, X., & Haroon, E. (2018) · American Journal of Primatology · doi:10.1002/ajp.22740 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Oxytocin tempers calculated greed but not impulsive defense in predator–prey contests
Dreu, C. K. W. D., Scholte, H. S., van Winden, F. A. A. M., & Ridderinkhof, K. R. (2014) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsu109 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“…Guastella, 2011, De Dreu et al., 2014), including pro-social behavior such as cooperation, while (ii) allows to adaptively respond to aversive stimuli and threat by, for example, flight, seeking shelter or, if needed, lashing out to neutralize the threat (De Dreu, 2012b; Striepens et al., 2012).”
Background
Genetics and developmental biology of cooperation
Kasper, C., Vierbuchen, M., Ernst, U., Fischer, S., Radersma, R., Raulo, A., Cunha‐Saraiva, F., Wu, M. H., Mobley, K. B., & Barbara Taborsky, A. (2017) · Molecular Ecology · doi:10.1111/mec.14208 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Role of Oxytocin and Vasopressin in Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Therapeutic Potential of Agonists and Antagonists
Cid-Jofré, V., Moreno, M., Reyes-Parada, M. I., & Renard, G. M. (2021) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms222112077 · Cited by 39 · see citing works

Oxytocin conditions intergroup relations through upregulated in-group empathy, cooperation, conformity, and defense
De Dreu, C. K. W., & Kret, M. E. (2016) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.03.020 · Cited by 297 · see citing works
Oxytocinergic circuitry motivates group loyalty.
Dreu, C. K. W. D. (2013) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/14250-022 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
The Neuropeptide Oxytocin Regulates Parochial Altruism in Intergroup Conflict Among Humans
De Dreu, C. K. W., Greer, L. L., Handgraaf, M. J. J., Shalvi, S., Van Kleef, G. A., Baas, M., Ten Velden, F. S., Van Dijk, E., & Feith, S. W. W. (2010) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1189047 · Cited by 1,148 · see citing works
Oxytocin promotes intuitive rather than deliberated cooperation with the in-group
Ten Velden, F. S., Daughters, K., & De Dreu, C. K. W. (2017) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.06.005 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Oxytocin Motivates Non-Cooperation in Intergroup Conflict to Protect Vulnerable In-Group Members
Dreu, C. K. W. D., Shalvi, S., Greer, L. L., Kleef, G. A. V., & Handgraaf, M. J. J. (2012) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0046751 · Cited by 82 · see citing works

Authors: De Dreu, C. K. W.
Venue: Hormones and Behavior
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2012-03
Volume: 61
Issue: 3
Pages: 419-428
ISSN: 0018-506X (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.12.009
OpenAlex: W2115705437
Semantic Scholar: b82421cb88ce148f928d6ed1f618c1f31b15c26d
Cited by: 455
References: 144
Citations by year: 2026: 7 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 37 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 47 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 42 · 2013: 34 · 2012: 13
FWCI: 3.56
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
Locations: Hormones and Behavior (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (publishedVersion)
Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
Keywords: oxytocin, cooperation, in-group favoritism, intergroup competition, social categorization, trust, amygdala, empathy, vasopressin, social behavior
MeSH terms: Competitive Behavior, Cooperative Behavior, Discrimination, Psychological, Empathy, Fear, Group Processes, Humans, Love, Oxytocin, Social Behavior, Recognition, Psychology, Trust

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Oxytocin modulates cooperation within and competition between groups: An integrative review and research agenda

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