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.
Key findingIntranasal oxytocin in healthy men increased trust behavior AND prevented trust adaptation (trust reduction) after betrayal in a social investment gam
What the researchers 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.
Why it matters
Relevant for oxytocin, neuroprotection, cognitive-enhancement.
How the study worked
RCT study.
What this study cannot tell us
See abstract.
How to read the evidence
strong evidence.
When this study was published
Published in 2008.
The bigger picture
Advances peptide research.
Questions still open
- Further research needed.
- Clinical translation to evaluate.
Common questions
What was studied?
What was found?
Read the original research
Oxytocin shapes the neural circuitry of trust and trust adaptation in humans.
Neuron, 58(4), 639-50
Citation
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