When the Love Hormone Leads to Violence: Oxytocin Increases Intimate Partner Violence Inclinations Among High Trait Aggressive People
Open accessAbstract
Does oxytocin influence intimate partner violence (IPV)? Clues from prior research suggest that oxytocin increases prosocial behavior, but this effect is reversed among people with aggressive tendencies or in situations involving defensive aggression. Animal research also indicates that oxytocin plays a central role in defensive maternal aggression (i.e., protecting pups from intruders). Among highly aggressive people, a boost of oxytocin may cause them to use aggression toward close others as a means of maintaining their relationship. Adopting an interactionist approach, we predicted that oxytocin would increase IPV inclinations, but this effect would be limited to people high in trait physical aggression. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subject experiment, participants varying in trait physical aggression received either 24 international unit of oxytocin or a placebo. Following two provocation tasks, participants rated the probability that they would engage in various aggressive behaviors (e.g., slapping, throwing an object that could hurt) toward a romantic partner. Oxytocin increased IPV inclinations, but this effect was limited to participants prone to physical aggression. These data offer the first evidence that IPV inclinations have a biological basis in a combination of oxytocin and trait physical aggressiveness.
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Oxytocin is sometimes associated with antisocial behavior and aggression.
“Oxytocin is also sometimes associated with antisocial behavior and aggression (DeWall et al., 2014).”
From The evolved nest, oxytocin functioning, and prosocial development (2023) · cites this paper as DeWall et al., 2014
Intranasal oxytocin specifically increased the inclination for intimate partner violence in participants prone to physical aggression but not in participants with low aggressiveness traits.
“For instance, OXT IN specifically increased the inclination for intimate partner violence in participants prone to physical aggression but not in participants with low aggressiveness traits.”
From Dissecting the Role of Oxytocin in the Formation and Loss of Social Relationships (2016) · cites this paper as [103]
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The Social Salience Hypothesis of Oxytocin
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“Oxytocin is also sometimes associated with antisocial behavior and aggression (DeWall et al., 2014).”
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- Authors
- DeWall, C. N., Gillath, O., Pressman, S. D., Black, L. L., Bartz, J. A., Moskovitz, J., & Stetler, D. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Kentucky (US)
- University of Kansas (US)
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- McGill University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- DeWall, C. Nathan
- ORCID
- Venue
- Social Psychological and Personality Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2014-02-12
- Volume
- 5
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 691-697
- ISSN
- 1948-5506 (ISSN-L)
- 1948-5514
- OpenAlex
- W2022158791
- Semantic Scholar
- 15ba5db39587a905d720717f49fd7321a6bd4ae6
- Cited by
- 96
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 14.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Locations
- Social Psychological and Personality Science (publishedVersion)
- KU ScholarWorks (University of Kansas) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Social Sciences › Health › Intimate Partner and Family Violence
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
- Keywords
- oxytocin, intimate partner violence, defensive aggression, maternal aggression, biological basis of aggression, interactionism
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