Oxytocin Builds Trust in Humans and Prevents Trust Breakdown After Betrayal

Intranasal oxytocin not only increased trust in a trust game but prevented the typical trust reduction after betrayal — shaping both trust formation and the resilience of trust in human social interactions.

Baumgartner, Thomas et al.·Neuron·2008·Strong EvidenceRCT
RPEP-01312RCTStrong Evidence2008RETHINKTHC RESEARCH DATABASErethinkthc.com/research

Quick Facts

Study Type
RCT
Evidence
Strong Evidence
Sample
Not reported

What This Study Found

Intranasal oxytocin in healthy men increased trust behavior AND prevented trust adaptation (trust reduction) after betrayal in a social investment game, shaping the neural circuitry of both trust formation and trust resilience — with implications for social anxiety and autism.

Key Numbers

How They Did This

RCT study.

Why This Research Matters

Relevant for oxytocin, neuroprotection, cognitive-enhancement.

The Bigger Picture

Advances peptide research.

What This Study Doesn't Tell Us

See abstract.

Questions This Raises

  • ?Further research needed.
  • ?Clinical translation to evaluate.

Trust & Context

Key Stat:
Key finding Intranasal oxytocin in healthy men increased trust behavior AND prevented trust adaptation (trust reduction) after betrayal in a social investment gam
Evidence Grade:
strong evidence.
Study Age:
Published in 2008.
Original Title:
Oxytocin shapes the neural circuitry of trust and trust adaptation in humans.
Published In:
Neuron, 58(4), 639-50 (2008)
Database ID:
RPEP-01312

Evidence Hierarchy

Meta-Analysis / Systematic Review
Randomized Controlled Trial
Cohort / Case-Control
Cross-Sectional / ObservationalSnapshot without intervening
This study
Case Report / Animal Study
What do these levels mean? →

Frequently Asked Questions

What was studied?

Oxytocin Builds Trust in Humans and Prevents Trust Breakdown After Betrayal

What was found?

Intranasal oxytocin not only increased trust in a trust game but prevented the typical trust reduction after betrayal — shaping both trust formation and the resilience of trust in human social interactions.

Read More on RethinkPeptides

Cite This Study

RPEP-01312·https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/RPEP-01312

APA

Baumgartner, Thomas; Heinrichs, Markus; Vonlanthen, Aline; Fischbacher, Urs; Fehr, Ernst. (2008). Oxytocin shapes the neural circuitry of trust and trust adaptation in humans.. Neuron, 58(4), 639-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2008.04.009

MLA

Baumgartner, Thomas, et al. "Oxytocin shapes the neural circuitry of trust and trust adaptation in humans.." Neuron, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2008.04.009

RethinkPeptides

RethinkPeptides Research Database. "Oxytocin shapes the neural circuitry of trust and trust adap..." RPEP-01312. Retrieved from https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/baumgartner-2008-oxytocin-shapes-the-neural

Access the Original Study

Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkPeptides research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.