"For it is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest that holds human associations together."
Finally, marketers can stop worrying about things like authenticity, reciprocation, employee engagement, value, innovation, and all of those other pain in the ass activities. Science has come to their aid. And in the nick of time!
But seriously . . .
Swiss and American scientists demonstrate how a squirt of the hormone oxytocin stimulates trusting behavior in humans.
They also acknowledge that the possibility of abuse can't be ignored.
The study appears in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
Some scientists say the new research raises important questions about oxytocin's potential as a therapy for conditions such as autism, in which trust is diminished.
Others say the hormone could be reduced to treat more rare diseases, such as Williams syndrome, in which children approach strangers fearlessly. OXYTOCIN
Oxytocin is secreted in brain tissue and synthesized by the hypothalamus.
Controls biological reactions such as hunger, thirst and body temperature.
It also controls visceral fight-or-flight reactions associated with emotions such as fear and anger.
For years oxytocin was considered to be a straightforward reproductive hormone.
Experiments showed it was involved in the biochemistry of attachment.
Scientists have wondered whether oxytocin also is involved with aspects of bonding behavior, and specifically whether it stimulates trust. THE RESEARCH
The researchers tried to manipulate people's trust by adding more oxytocin to their brains.
They used a synthetic version in a nasal spray that was absorbed by mucous membranes and crossed the blood-brain barrier.
Researchers say the dose was harmless and altered oxytocin levels only temporarily.
A total of 178 male students from universities in Zurich took part in a pair of experiments.
All the volunteers were in their 20s.
They got either the oxytocin or a placebo. FIRST EXPERIMENT
Volunteers played a game in which an "investor" could choose to give to a "trustee" up to 12 units of money each equal to about 32 cents.
The trustee triples the investor's money, then gets to decide how much of the proceeds to share.
Of 29 subjects who got oxytocin, 45 percent invested the maximum amount.
Only 21 percent had a lower trust level, investing less than eight monetary units.
In contrast, the placebo group's trust behavior was reversed.
Only 21 percent of the placebo subjects invested the maximum, while 45 percent invested at low levels.
Overall, those who got oxytocin invested 17 percent more than investors who received a placebo. SECOND EXPERIMENT
The trustee was replaced by a computer program in an effort to see whether the hormone promoted social interaction or simply encouraged risk-taking.
With the computer, the oxytocin and placebo groups behaved similarly, with both groups investing an average of 7.5 monetary units.
From The Associated Press
