Drunk in Love: Hormone mimics the effects of alcohol
Scientists have discovered 'striking' similarities between the effects of Oxytocin and alcoholic beverages, one of them being aggression.
Oxytocin plays a big role among lovers, mothers bonding with their new-born child, and even dog owners. It's also widely known as the love hormone or the cuddle chemical. But despite the jolly reputation, Oxytocin has a dark side.
In sharing their study on the hormone, scientists from Birmingham University revealed that the effects of Oxytocin are strikingly similar to alcohol.
One of them being how, upon its release from the brain, Oxytocin summons our trusting, generous, and empathetic side, just like what a couple of beers and cocktails are capable of. On the flip side, it also conjures up aggression, arrogance and stress, which are synonymous to our behaviours when under too much influence of alcohol. Psychopaths have ten times as much Oxytocin as a normal person because like alcohol, the hormone relaxes and gives us the courage to do things we would otherwise be fearful of.
A confidence booster
On the fun side, we often resort to a shot of alcohol to calm our nerves before a challenging event, like a public appearance (like Jennifer Lawrence, who also admitted to it at the Oscars). "The idea of 'Dutch courage' - having a drink to overcome nerves - is used to battle those immediate obstacles of fear and anxiety. Oxytocin appears to mirror these effects in the lab," Dr. Steven Gillespie, an author of the study explained.
Though this was a fascinating discovery, Dr. Gillespie doesn't think Oxytocin would be used as a social alternative to alcoholic beverages, though he is hopeful that the hormone "has a possible use in treatment of psychological and psychiatric conditions".
Well then, not only is love intoxicating, it potentially heals too.
Natasha gan
