15 participants were given doses of oxytocin nasal spray over a period of 3 weeks, and most reported measurable improvements in their symptoms at the end of the study.

Each participant in the trial were given either a placebo or actual doses of oxytocin nasal spray for 3 weeks, then a weeks break, and then the opposite, again for 3 weeks. 

Patients averaged an 8% reduction in schizophrenic symptoms after recieving the oxytocin spray.  David Feifel heralded his studies findings as ‘proof of concept that there’s therapeutic potential here’.

The experiment was performed on one person only, but if accepted does appear to have implications both for understanding how oxytocin is triggered in human relationships and also in taking seriously the idea that online networking is just as ‘real’ as offline human interaction.

In a sense, social networking is undeniably safer and more controlled than that in the real world – you can easily block unwanted contacts for example.  Therefore, it shouldn’t be altogether surprising that the ‘trust hormone’ is easily switched on when interacting online.

Dr Carsten De Dreu, of the University of Amsterdam, said that the phenomenon was known as “parochial altruism” or “tend and defend”.

This meant that boosted levels of oxytocin produced “in-group love” and “out-group aggression”, he said.

Dr De Dreu, who published the findings in Science, said: “Oxytocin is a double edged sword. It makes you kinder to your group but more aggressive to those outside.”

Source : Love Hormone Oxytocin helps soldiers like each other and hate the enemy

Scientists have found that some symptoms of autism can be alleviated by a nasal spray containing oxytocin, the “bonding” hormone.  People with autism who inhaled the spray altered their behaviour temporarily, becoming more sociable and trusting.

Source : Nasal spray gives hope on autism

Although pharmaceutical oxytocin spray may be some years away, as somebody who has been diagnosed with asperger’s syndrome, I can give you my anecdotal experience with ‘Liquid Trust’ oxytocin nasal spray – a commerical oxytocin spray marketed as a product that leads others to trust you more readily.  I first bought Liquid Trust because I had read about oxytocin and the research linking it to the ability to socialize, trust, and bond with others.  As this is something I have always had problems with  then I thought that this might be worth a go, having already tried a variety of largely unsuccessful medical treatments ranging from seroxat to cognitive therapy.  I can honestly say that Liquid Trust has worked better than any previous treatment and when using it, I genuinely do feel more open, sociable,  communicative, and trusting of others.  And other people do seem to be more trusting and relaxed in my company – I don’t know whether this is because I am more relaxed and sociable or because they too are inhaling the oxytocin spray (as the makers of Liquid Trust intend).

If you are thinking about trying this oxytocin spray as a means of alleviating the symptoms of aspergers syndrome or other social cognitive problem such as social anxiety, bear in mind that Liquid Trust is not intended to be inhaled directly but rather worn like a perfume (although the spray is odourless).

You can order Liquid Trust Oxytocin Spray from the official website here.

Experiments have shown that a nasal squirt of oxytocin enhances trust and tunes people into others’ emotions….Internet entrepreneurs are already marketing products such as Enhanced Liquid Trust, a cologne-like mixture of oxytocin and pheromones ‘designed to boost the dating and relationship area of your life’.

Click to read more about how Oxytocin Enhanced Liquid Trust can boost your relationships with others.

 The Hebrew University researchers evaluated altruism using a game that included real payoffs. Subjects made decisions regarding a series of social dilemmas concerning the distribution of money for themselves and another player and were rated as either prosocial (looking to maximize joint outcomes), or proself (looking to maximize their individual outcomes). The researchers found that individuals who carried a simple variant (G rather than T) in one DNA letter located in the oxytocin receptor were much more likely to share their endowment with another player and to prefer prosocial outcomes.

 

According to Beate Ditzen, the author of the study,

“[Oxytocin] might help us to pronounce the effects of standard treatment, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, by possibly making the benefits of social interaction more accessible to the individual. But it probably will not replace these standard treatments.” 

Theodoridou’s team tested 96 men and women in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. After participants got either a spritz of oxytocin or a placebo, they were asked to rate pictures of 48 men and women for attractiveness and 30 for trustworthiness. Her team also tested for mood.

No matter their sex or mood, volunteers who received oxytocin rated male and female strangers as both more attractive and trusting.

Oxytocin nasal sprays are soon going to be a multi-million dollar industry.  Presently, only one company sells oxytocin sprays as a means of improving trust and sexual attractiveness.  You can click to buy Liquid Trust oxytocin spray here.

“greater partner support is linked to higher Oxytocin levels for both men and women. However, the importance of oxytocin and its potentially cardio- protective effects may be greater for women”.