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Cited by 346Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorEvolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorAttachment and Relationship Dynamics

Oxytocin enhances brain reward system responses in men viewing the face of their female partner

Open access
Scheele, Dirk, Wille, Andrea, Kendrick, Keith M., Stoffel-Wagner, Birgit, Becker, Benjamin, Güntürkün, Onur, Maier, Wolfgang, Hurlemann, René·2013·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.1314190110PMC PMC3864312
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Abstract

Significance: Sexual monogamy is potentially costly for males, and few mammalian species along with humans exhibit it. The hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) has been implicated in mediating pair bonds in various species, but as yet, we know little about neurobiological factors that might act to promote fidelity, especially in men. Here we provide evidence for a mechanism by which OXT may contribute to romantic bonds in men by enhancing their partner's attractiveness and reward value compared with other women.

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Crossref · 10.1073/pnas.1314190110

Cites

69 of 69 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

20 of 42 cited sources checked · 10 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

  • Premisecitation
    § Oxytocin enhances brain reward system responses in men viewing the face of their female partner

    In some mammalian species, oxytocin is involved in forming partner bonds through interaction with brain dopamine reward systems.

    “The evolutionarily conserved neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is associated with the formation of partner bonds in some species via interactions with brain dopamine reward systems.”
    • Also stated in: § emotion | functional imaging | love | monogamy · plain
      “In prairie voles, partner bonds are formed after the neuropeptides oxytocin (OXT) or arginine vasopressin (AVP) are released in the brain during mating.Their effects on bonding are mediated via interactions with dopamine (DA) release, particularly in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAcc).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
  • Premisecitation

    Intranasal oxytocin may facilitate fidelity in men in monogamous relationships by increasing their distance from other women.

    “and may facilitate the fidelity of men in a monogamous relationship by making them keep a greater distance from other women (29).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
  • Premisecitation

    Plasma oxytocin levels are higher in new lovers than in unattached singles.

    “and consequently, OXT levels are higher in new lovers than in unattached singles (24).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
  • Premisecitation

    Genetic variation in oxytocin influences dopamine signaling in brain reward centers.

    “Genetic variability in OXT influences DA signaling in brain reward centers (15)”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [15] source

      The Results (Stress-Induced Activation of DA Neurotransmission; page unavailable) link OXT genotype to dopamine responses, and the Discussion locates the association in the right ventromedial caudate. The citing sentence omits important limits: the observed association was during a pain-stress challenge and was significant in female participants, not males. (LLM, conf=0.85)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Premisecitation

    Another non-pharmaco-fMRI study in which no additional instruction was given also failed to detect striatal activation in response to partner faces.

    “In fact, another non-pharmaco-fMRI study in which no additional instruction was given also failed to detect any striatal activation in response to partner faces (41).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 38
  • May combine two claims. 27

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    In prairie voles, mating releases oxytocin or vasopressin, and these neuropeptides promote partner bond formation.

    “In prairie voles, partner bonds are formed after the neuropeptides oxytocin (OXT) or arginine vasopressin (AVP) are released in the brain during mating.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [2] source

      Section 4.2 reports increased oxytocin in the nucleus accumbens during sociosexual experience and evidence that both oxytocin and vasopressin promote partner preferences. It says mating-related changes in males *suggest* vasopressin release, rather than establishing that release as a fact; the claim also specifies mating where the oxytocin finding says sociosexual experience. (LLM, conf=0.83)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    In voles, monogamous versus polygamous behavior is associated with higher density of dopamine D2 receptors in medial prefrontal cortex and oxytocin receptors in medial prefrontal cortex, NAcc, and caudate putamen.

    “Furthermore, in different species of voles, a monogamous, as opposed to polygamous, pattern of behavior is associated with a higher density of dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) (3) and of OXT receptors (OXTR) in mPFC, NAcc, and caudate putamen (4,5).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim2 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [3] source
    • cites [4] source
    • cites [5] source

      The General Discussion reports higher nucleus accumbens OTR density in monogamous than non-monogamous vole species. But the Results and Discussion found no prefrontal-cortex OTR difference between paired and single male prairie voles, and the paper does not report a mating-pattern difference in caudate-putamen OTR density. The D2-receptor claim is attached to a different citation. (LLM, conf=0.88)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    The bonding effects of oxytocin and vasopressin in prairie voles are mediated by dopamine release, particularly in the VTA and NAcc.

    “Their effects on bonding are mediated via interactions with dopamine (DA) release, particularly in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAcc).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [2] source

      Section 8, “Neurochemical/hormone interactions,” reports that oxytocin and vasopressin interact with dopamine systems in partner-preference formation, including oxytocin–dopamine receptor interactions in the NAcc. Section 4.3 reports increased NAcc dopamine during mating. The paper does not establish that both hormones’ bonding effects are mediated by dopamine release in the VTA and NAcc; its VTA discussion concerns other neurotransmitters, and its vasopressin–dopamine example involves the ventral pallidum. (LLM, conf=0.88)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    It is unclear to what extent peripheral oxytocin measurements reflect central oxytocin concentrations.

    “Nevertheless, it is currently unclear to what extent peripheral measurements reflect central OXT concentrations (25).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Romantic relationships have three phases that share some biological substrates but involve different brain systems.

    “Importantly, three different phases in romantic relationships have been defined that share common biological substrates but also involve different brain systems (11,35,36).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [11] source

      The Conclusions (p. 13) report shared reward-related activation in early-stage and long-term romantic love, alongside attachment-related activation in long-term love. The Implications (p. 12) also distinguish brain regions associated with romantic love from those associated with attachment. The paper does not define three distinct phases of romantic relationships; it says romantic love and attachment can coexist. (LLM, conf=0.86)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites [35] source
    • cites [36] source

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    An oxytocin-mediated positive bias toward the partner may be adaptive and serve as a long-term resilience factor, since idealization predicts sustained marital satisfaction over the first three years.

    “An OXT-mediated positive bias in the perception of the female partner can be adaptive and may serve as a long-term resilience factor because such idealization can predict sustained relationship satisfaction over the first 3 y of marriage (34).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    An oxytocin receptor polymorphism has been associated with pair-bonding traits in females.

    “An OXTR polymorphism has also been associated with pair-bonding traits in females (26).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    Oxytocin may play a specific role in maintaining long-term pair bonding in humans, as also suggested by prior evidence that it increases relationship men's distance from attractive female strangers.

    “The notion that OXT may play a specific role in maintaining long-term pair bonding in humans is also substantiated by our previous findings that it makes men in a relationship keep a greater social distance from attractive female strangers (29)”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationcitation

    This could initiate a feed-forward loop that progressively increases desire for the partner, similar to a drug addict's craving.

    “In this way, a feed-forward loop would be initialized, resulting in a progressive increase in desire for the partner, similar to a drug addict's increased craving for drug consumption (42).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [42] source

      The Partner Addiction Hypothesis describes a positive feedback loop in both partner and substance addiction and says encounters with the partner become more frequent, paralleling escalating drug use. It does not say that desire or craving for the partner progressively increases; it describes decreasing reward as the loop continues. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.82)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    There is mounting evidence that oxytocin has anxiogenic and fear-enhancing effects.

    “However, against the background of mounting evidence for anxiogenic and fearenhancing OXT effects (33,43,44), it is necessary that the mechanisms determining the outcome of an OXT treatment are completely identified.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim3 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [33] source

      The Discussion (p. 3) reports that oxytocin increased startle responses to negative social stimuli and improved memory for them, supporting a fear-enhancing effect in that context. It does not establish an anxiogenic effect: the paper describes prior anxiolytic findings and says its own results did not show increased arousal or valence ratings. (LLM, conf=0.87)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites [43] source
    • cites [44] source

      In “Oxytocin increases anxiety to unpredictable threat” (page not provided), the authors report increased defensive responses to unpredictable shocks and describe this as evidence that oxytocin can be anxiogenic in humans. The same results say responses to predictable shocks were not affected, so this paper does not support the fear-enhancing part of the claim. (LLM, conf=0.88)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    By promoting exclusive devotion to a single mate, oxytocin may open an evolutionary path to biparental care and shift male competition toward in-group cooperation.

    “By keeping an exclusive devotion to a single mate, it may open an evolutionary path to biparental care of offspring and shift a potentially destructive competition between males for mates toward more beneficial in-group cooperation (45).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [45] source

      The Discussion says pair-bonding opened a path to greater male parental investment and redirected potentially destructive competition for mates toward becoming better providers. The introduction also links pair-bonding to parental partnership and within-group cooperation. Our copy does not identify oxytocin as the cause of these changes; searches for oxytocin and related terms found no such passage. (LLM, conf=0.86)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Participants rated their partner higher on attractiveness and arousal than unfamiliar or familiar women in both studies and treatments.

    “The main effect of bond became evident as a positive partner bias, i.e., the participants gave their partners significantly higher attractiveness and arousal ratings than other either unfamiliar or familiar women”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    In both studies, attractiveness ratings showed a main effect of bond and a bond-by-treatment interaction.

    “yielded a main effect of bond (DSC: F (1,19) = 120.96,P < 0.01, ƞ 2 = 0.88; RPL: F (2,18) = 61.61,P < 0.01, ƞ 2 = 0.87) and an interaction effect of bond and treatment”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    In DSC, oxytocin increased arousal ratings regardless of bond, but this effect did not replicate in RPL.

    “The arousalbased treatment effect in the DSC study is related to higher arousal ratings under OXT, irrespective of the bond.However, this effect could not be replicated in the RPL study.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Oxytocin did not change Passionate Love Scale scores or the positive bias for familiar versus unfamiliar women.

    “OXT neither altered PLS scores nor the positive bias for familiar as opposed to unfamiliar women (all P > 0.05).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    All subjects reported being passionately in love.

    “All subjects reported being passionately in love (Table S1).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    In hypothesis-driven ROI analyses, oxytocin increased the differential response to partner versus unfamiliar women in bilateral NAcc and VTA in DSC, replicated in bilateral NAcc and right VTA in RPL.

    “we found enhanced responsiveness for the contrast [Partner OXT > Unfamiliar OXT ] > [Partner PLC > Unfamiliar PLC ] bilaterally in the NAcc (Fig. 2A) and VTA (Fig. 3A) (P FWE < 0.05; DSC study).This finding was replicated bilaterally in the NAcc (Fig. 2B) and unilaterally in the right VTA (Fig. 3B; RPL study).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    For arousal ratings, there was a main effect of bond in both studies and a main effect of treatment in DSC, but no bond-by-treatment interaction.

    “For arousal ratings, we detected only a main effect of bond (DSC: F (1,19) = 74.96,P < 0.01, ƞ 2 = 0.80; RPL: F (2,18) = 84.47,P < 0.01, ƞ 2 = 0.90) and a main effect of treatment in the DSC study (F (1,19) = 7.47, P = 0.01, ƞ 2 = 0.28), but no interaction effects (all P > 0.14).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    There were no comparable effects for partner versus familiar women, and no nonspecific main effects of treatment across conditions.

    “We did not observe any comparable effects for the contrast [Partner > Familiar] and there were also no nonspecific main treatment effects across conditions (all P > 0.05).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    In DSC, using houses as control, oxytocin effects in NAcc were similar to those with unfamiliar women, but no significant VTA effect was detected.

    “With houses as control stimuli in the DSC study ([Partner OXT > House OXT ] > [Partner PLC > House PLC ]), we found similar OXT effects as with unfamiliar women for the NAcc”
    • Also stated in: § Results · plain
      “For the VTA, no significant effect was detected”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    In prairie voles, D2 receptor activation in NAcc facilitates partner preference and bond formation without mating in both sexes.

    “In prairie voles, D2R activation in the NAcc facilitates a partner preference and bond formation in the absence of mating in both sexes (6)”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [6] source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    In male prairie voles, vasopressin injection into lateral septum induces partner preference.

    “and of AVP into the lateral septum of males (8).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [8] source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    In female prairie voles, direct oxytocin injection into NAcc induces partner preference.

    “whereas the direct injection of OXT into the NAcc (7) does so in females”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [7] source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Plasma oxytocin levels can be elevated by attachment-related experiences including partner hugs, social support, massages, or orgasms.

    “Plasma OXT levels can be elevated by several attachment-related experiences, including partner hugs (20), social support (21), massages (22), or orgasms (23)”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [20] source
    • cites [21] source
    • cites (22) or (23)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductown data
    § Oxytocin enhances brain reward system responses in men viewing the face of their female partner

    The experiments used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject design.

    “double-blind, placebocontrolled, within-subject, pharmaco-functional MRI experiment”
    • Also stated in: § emotion | functional imaging | love | monogamy · plain
      “counter balanced, double-blind, within-subject design experiment.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Many studies report prosocial effects of oxytocin, including increased social affiliation and attachment.

    “Moreover, numerous studies have reported prosocial effects of OXT including increased social affiliation and attachment (17)(18)(19).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites (17)(18)(19)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Intracerebroventricular oxytocin can induce partner preference and bonding in both male and female prairie voles.

    “However, nonspecific intracerebroventricular administration of OXT can induce a partner preference and bonding in both males and females (10).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [10] source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    D2 receptor-oxytocin receptor heteromers with facilitatory interactions exist in the striatum.

    “and there are also D2R-OXTR heteromers with facilitatory receptor-receptor interactions in the striatum (16).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [16] source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S1 (asserted), S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationreasoning

    If the oxytocin effect on VTA response to the partner reflects devaluation of unfamiliar women with no social bond, this could explain the absence of a similar response to familiar women in RPL.

    “If the OXT effect on the VTA activation in response to the partner reflects a devaluation of other unfamiliar women the man has no social bond with, then this could explain why we did not find a similar response to other familiar women they do have a social bond with in the RPL study.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    Reduced VTA activation to other women after oxytocin suggests oxytocin may contribute to pair bonding by making interactions with other women less rewarding, though behavioral data did not support this.

    “Furthermore, reduced VTA activation in response to the faces of other women after OXT treatment indicates it could further contribute to long-term pair bonding by making interactions with other women less rewarding, although we found no corresponding behavioral support for this.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    The VTA has been suggested as the human brain site where oxytocin attaches salience to socially relevant cues.

    “Recently, it has been suggested that the VTA is the human brain site where oxytocin acts to attach salience to socially relevant cues (39)”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [39] source

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The mean relationship durations were 29 months (DSC) and 36 months (RPL), indicating participants were in the second, passionate-love phase.

    “The mean relationship durations in the present study were 29 and 36 mo (DSC and RPL, respectively), indicating that the participants were in the second phase of their relationship in which the initial euphoria and excitation decline but the passion remains high.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    Increased NAcc and VTA activation likely reflects greater reward value of the partner and suggests oxytocin affects these dopaminergic areas in bonding similarly to monogamous voles.

    “Enhanced activation of the NAcc and VTA is likely to reflect an increased reward value of the female partner and suggests that OXT may affect these dopaminergic areas in the context of bonds in a similar manner to monogamous voles.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning

    The comparison of partner with an unfamiliar woman likely involves a larger salience difference than comparison with a familiar woman.

    “and it is also likely that the comparison of the partner with an unfamiliar woman involves a larger salience difference than the contrast with a familiar one.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Intranasal oxytocin increases ratings of facial attractiveness and positive communication during couple conflicts.

    “Intranasal administration of OXT increases ratings of facial attractiveness (27), positive communication behavior during couple conflicts (28)”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [27] source
    • cites [28] source

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    The results support the hypothesis that oxytocin contributes to romantic pair bonding in humans by increasing men's positive bias toward their partner's face and reward-circuit activation.

    “Our results confirmed the hypothesis that OXT also contribute to romantic pair bonding in humans by showing that OXT treatment enhanced a positive bias in men to perceive their female partner's face as more attractive than that of other unfamiliar women, an effect paralleled by increased activation of reward neurocircuitry.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductown data

    Face photographs of other women were matched to the partner on attractiveness, arousal, and picture quality using ratings from 10 independent judges.

    “The photographs of other women were carefully matched for attractiveness, arousal, and picture quality with those of the partner in each case by using ratings obtained from a sample of 10 independent judges.”
    • Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
      “but by choosing face stimuli matched for overall attractiveness, we avoided any nonspecific contribution from this.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductown data

    The findings are unlikely to be explained by nonspecific conscious effects of oxytocin because oxytocin did not affect state anxiety or mood, and participants could not identify treatment.

    “Likewise, our results cannot be accounted for by nonspecific conscious effects of OXT because it did not affect state anxiety or mood ratings, and the subjects could not identify whether they had received OXT or PLC (Tables S4 and S5).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductreasoning

    Subjects passively viewed the pictures to avoid ceiling effects and limit cognitive processing.

    “To avoid ceiling effects and to limit cognitive processing, we asked our subjects to passively view the pictures.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Facial attractiveness is known to elicit striatal activation.

    “Facial attractiveness is known to elicit striatal activation (38)”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [38] source

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductown data

    Whole-brain tests applied a corrected significance level of P < 0.05 for multiple comparisons.

    “Parameter estimates for each contrast were subjected to one-sample t tests on the second level for the whole brain with a significance threshold of P < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons .”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductnone given

    No subject knew the woman whose photograph served as his control stimulus.

    “We ensured that no subject knew the woman whose photograph was used as his control stimulus.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    Head motion parameters were entered as nuisance regressors in the design matrix.

    “The movement parameters were included as confounds in the design matrix.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductown data

    MRI data for the two studies were acquired with the same system and scanning parameters.

    “The MRI data of the DSC and RPL study were acquired with the same system and scanning parameters.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductown data

    The intervals since participants last saw their partners and had intimate contact were similar across oxytocin and placebo sessions and across the two studies.

    “the time intervals since they last saw their partners and had intimate contact were comparable between the OXT and PLC sessions, as well as between the DSC and RPL study (Table S1).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductnone given

    The chosen pictures were matched on facial expression, size, and luminance.

    “The selected photographs were equated for facial expression, size, and luminance.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductown data

    Attention task accuracy was high and did not differ between oxytocin and placebo in either study.

    “To assure attentive stimulus processing, subjects were asked to press a keypad button whenever a stimulus was presented (percent correct responses DSC: OXT 97.64 ± 7.49, PLC 95.90 ± 10.16; RPL: OXT 98.62 ± 3.19, PLC 98.62 ± 4.5; all P ≥ 0.33).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    The sequence of photographs in the behavioral task was randomized.

    “The sequence of the photographs was randomized.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductown data

    Both studies used a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, within-group design.

    “In both the DSC and RPL studies, we applied a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, within-group design.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductown data

    For regions of interest, 5-mm masks covered the NAcc, VTA, caudate, and lentiform nucleus; significance was set at P < 0.05 with FWE correction based on ROI size.

    “The Wake Forest University Pickatlas (Version 3.0) was used to generate 5-mm ROI masks for NAcc, VTA, caudate, and lentiform nucleus (SI Materials and Methods), and the threshold for significance was set at P < 0.05 and was FWE corrected for multiple comparisons based on the size of the ROI.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Oxytocin may serve as a potential treatment for love-related withdrawal syndromes, including lovesickness and pathological grief.

    “This notion suggests the intriguing possibility that OXT may serve as a potential treatment for love-related withdrawal syndromes, including lovesickness and pathological grief from loss of a loved one.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductown data

    The DSC, RPL, and pilot samples did not differ significantly in age.

    “an ANOVA with the factor group yielded no significant age difference between the DSC, RPL, or pilot samples, P = 0.38”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductnone given

    Every house image was converted to grayscale and matched for size and luminance.

    “All houses were gray-scaled and equated for size and luminance.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    In relationship men, increased endogenous oxytocin signaling after proximity, social support, intimate contact, or sex with the partner may make these behaviors more rewarding through related neurocircuitry.

    “For men in a relationship, increased endogenous OXT signaling in the brain following experience of proximity, social support, intimate contact, or sex with their romantic partner might make these behaviors even more rewarding via an engagement of related neurocircuitry.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductreasoning

    To prevent confounds, the picture backgrounds were blacked out and the images were converted to grayscale.

    “To avoid confounding factors in the photographs, the backgrounds were masked in black, and the photographs were gray-scaled.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    The sequence of blocks was randomized.

    “The sequence of blocks was randomized”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
56 of 56

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The neurobiological mechanisms underlying long-term pair bonds in humans are not well understood.

    “The biological mechanisms underlying long-term partner bonds in humans are unclear.”
    “as yet surprisingly little is known about the neurobiological underpinnings of long-term pair bonds (i.e., enduring attachments between sexual partners) in humans.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The role of oxytocin in human pair bonding has not been established.

    “However, whether it plays a similar role in humans has as yet not been established.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Intranasal oxytocin at 24 IU reaches relevant brain oxytocin systems in men.

    “after they received either intranasal OXT (24 IU) or placebo (PLC) treatment.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The sample of 20 heterosexual pair-bonded men is representative of pair-bonded men in general.

    “20 heterosexual pair-bonded male volunteers”
    “20 heterosexual pair-bonded men”
4 of 4

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Oxytocin is released during contact with a partner and helps maintain long-term romantic relationships.

    “The hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) is released during partner contact (Grewen, Girdler, Amico, & Light, 2005) and contributes to the maintenance of long-term relationships (Ditzen et al., 2009;Kreuder et al., 2017;Scheele et al., 2013).”

    From Oxytocin enhances the pain‐relieving effects of social support in romantic couples (2019) · cites this paper as Scheele et al., 2013

    The Discussion says oxytocin may play a role in maintaining long-term pair bonds and reports that administered oxytocin increased men's positive responses to their partners' faces. This supports a possible contribution, but the citing sentence states maintenance of long-term relationships as an established effect. The partner-contact release claim is attributed to Grewen et al., not to Scheele et al. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Oxytocin, dopamine, and vasopressin regulate neural circuits responsible for generating bonds in animals and humans.

    “Here, we provide an overview of the roles of oxytocin, dopamine, and vasopressin in regulating neural circuits responsible for generating bonds in animals and humans alike.”

    From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [18]

    The introductory section (page not supplied) describes oxytocin, vasopressin, and dopamine in neural mechanisms of bond formation in prairie voles. The Discussion (page not supplied) reports that oxytocin enhances responses in human reward regions and suggests an effect on dopaminergic areas, but the paper does not establish that all three regulate bond-generating circuits in humans; it does not address a human vasopressin role. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • IN-OT caused men in monogamous relationships to rate their partner as more attractive than when given a placebo, but IN-OT did not increase the perceived attractiveness of other women.

    “In one study, IN-OT caused men in monogamous relationships to rate their partner as more attractive than when given a placebo, but IN-OT did not increase the perceived attractiveness of other women.”

    From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [18]

    The Results (page unavailable) report that intranasal oxytocin increased the positive partner bias in attractiveness ratings relative to placebo. The paper states that it did not affect the attractiveness of other familiar women, but it does not establish the claim’s broader assertion about all other women or clearly show an increase in the partner’s rating considered on its own, rather than relative to other faces. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • OXT specifically influenced perception related to pair-bonding.

    “Importantly, OXT did not alter the positive bias for the familiar person (all Ps > 0.56, cf. Figure 1), suggesting that, in line with our previous findings in men (Scheele et al., 2013), OXT specifically influenced perception related to pair-bonding.”

    From Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner’s face (2016) · cites this paper as Scheele et al., 2013

  • OXT did not alter the positive bias for the familiar person.

    “Importantly, OXT did not alter the positive bias for the familiar person (all Ps > 0.56, cf. Figure 1), suggesting that, in line with our previous findings in men (Scheele et al., 2013), OXT specifically influenced perception related to pair-bonding.”

    From Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner’s face (2016) · cites this paper as Scheele et al., 2013

Statistics recomputed

Every reported test result, recomputed from its test statistic and degrees of freedom. A result shows as not adding up only once an independent check has confirmed it.

  • ConsistentF(1, 19) = 120.96reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “F (1,19) = 120.96,p < .01”

  • ConsistentF(2, 18) = 61.61reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “F (2,18) = 61.61,p < .01”

  • ConsistentF(1, 19) = 7reported p = .02 · recomputed p = .016

    “F (1,19) = 7.00, p = .02”

  • ConsistentF(2, 18) = 2.82reported p = .086 · recomputed p = .086

    “F (2,18) = 2.82, p = .086”

  • ConsistentF(1, 19) = 74.96reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “F (1,19) = 74.96,p < .01”

  • ConsistentF(2, 18) = 84.47reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “F (2,18) = 84.47,p < .01”

  • ConsistentF(1, 19) = 7.47reported p = .01 · recomputed p = .013

    “F (1,19) = 7.47, p = .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 12.11reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 12.11, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 9.52reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 9.52, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 10.92reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 10.92,p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 9.68reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 9.68, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 11.03reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 11.03,p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 6.57reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 6.57,p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 12.21reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 12.21, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 8.87reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 8.87, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 8.12reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 8.12, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 9.3reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 9.30, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 5.63reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 5.63, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 5.79reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 5.79, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 4.44reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (19) = 4.44, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 3.19reported p < .01 · recomputed p = .005

    “t (19) = 3.19, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(19) = 2.65reported p = .02 · recomputed p = .016

    “t (19) = 2.65, p = .02”

  • Consistentt(19) = 2.32reported p = .03 · recomputed p = .032

    “t (19) = 2.32, p = .03”

23 of 23

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Replication NAcc result is described as bilateral despite a nonsignificant left peak

    Minor

    The paper describes the replicated NAcc effect as bilateral, but the figure reports P FWE = 0.052 for the left NAcc, above the stated P < 0.05 threshold.

  • Discovery VTA result is described as bilateral despite a nonsignificant right peak

    Minor

    The paper describes the discovery-study VTA effect as bilateral at P FWE < 0.05, but the figure reports P FWE = 0.051 for the right VTA.

2 of 2

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. JA Lee Colours of Love: An Exploration of the Ways of Loving (New Press, Toronto, 1973).

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Scheele, D., Wille, A., Kendrick, K. M., Stoffel-Wagner, B., Becker, B., Güntürkün, O., Maier, W., & Hurlemann, R.
Affiliations
  • University of Bonn (DE)
  • Departments of aPsychiatry,
  • University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (CN)
  • Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany;
  • Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
  • German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DE)
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2013-11-25
Volume
110
Issue
50
Pages
20308-20313
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1314190110
PMC
PMC3864312
OpenAlex
W2011152932
Cited by
345
References
68
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 1
FWCI
31.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (submittedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (submittedVersion)
  • DZNE Pub (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
Keywords
oxytocin, romantic attachment, facial attractiveness, brain reward system, dopamine, ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, intranasal oxytocin
MeSH terms
Administration, Intranasal, Face, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Love, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Nucleus Accumbens

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-10-08.

Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-10-08.

Cited sources are checked by gpt-6-sol.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

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