Differential Effects of Oxytocin on Agency and Communion for Anxiously and Avoidantly Attached Individuals
Abstract
Oxytocin promotes prosocial behavior, especially in those individuals who are low in affiliation (e.g., avoidantly attached individuals), but can exacerbate interpersonal insecurities in those preoccupied with closeness (e.g., anxiously attached individuals). One explanation for these opposing observations is that oxytocin induces a communal, other-orientation. Becoming more other oriented should help those people who focus on the self to the exclusion of others, but could be detrimental to those who are other focused but have little sense of an agentic self. Using a within-subjects design, we administered intranasal oxytocin and placebo to 40 males and measured their agency (self-orientation) and communion (other-orientation). Oxytocin produced a slight increase in communion for the average participant; however, as predicted, avoidantly attached individuals were especially likely to perceive themselves as more communal (“kind,” “warm,” “gentle,” etc.) after receiving oxytocin than after receiving the placebo. There was no main effect of oxytocin on agency for the average participant; however, anxiously attached individuals showed a selective decrease in agency (“independent,” “self-confident,” etc.) following administration of oxytocin. These data help explain the complex social effects of oxytocin.
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Previous studies showed beneficial effects of a single dose of OT on attachment security, development of trust and cooperation, and improved communal traits and altered agency.
“Our findings also extend previous studies showing beneficial effects of a single dose of OT on attachment security [20], development of trust and cooperation [18], and improved communal traits and altered agency [19].”
From Behavioral effects of multiple-dose oxytocin treatment in autism: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial with long-term follow-up (2020) · cites this paper as [19]
OXT has been found to increase other-but not self-orientation in terms of individuals perceiving themselves as being more communal.
“and to increase other-but not self-orientation in terms of individuals perceiving themselves as being more communal [Bartz et al., 2015].”
From Oxytocin blurs the self-other distinction during trait judgments and reduces medial prefrontal cortex responses: Oxytocin Blurs Self-Other Distinction (2016) · cites this paper as Bartz et al., 2015
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- Authors
- Bartz, J. A., Lydon, J. E., Kolevzon, A., Zaki, J., Hollander, E., Ludwig, N., & Bolger, N.
- Affiliations
- McGill University (CA)
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
- Stanford University (US)
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US)
- Columbia University (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2015-06-29
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1177-1186
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- OpenAlex
- W1684060298
- Cited by
- 70
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 2
- FWCI
- 14.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- oxytocin, attachment styles, anxiety, avoidance, agency, communion, self-orientation, other-orientation, prosocial behavior, intranasal oxytocin, self-concept
- MeSH terms
- Administration, Intranasal, Adolescent, Adult, Anxiety, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Oxytocin, Personality, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Regression Analysis, Self Concept, Social Behavior, Cross-Over Studies, Young Adult
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