title: Social effects of oxytocin in humans: context and person matter.
abstract: Building on animal research, the past decade has witnessed a surge of interest in the effects of oxytocin on social cognition and prosocial behavior in humans. This work has generated considerable excitement about identifying the neurochemical underpinnings of sociality in humans, and discovering compounds to treat social functioning deficits. Inspection of the literature, however, reveals that the effects of oxytocin in the social domain are often weak and/or inconsistent. We propose that this literature can be informed by an interactionist approach in which the effects of oxytocin are constrained by features of situations and/or individuals. We show how this approach can improve understanding of extant research, suggest novel mechanisms through which oxytocin might operate, and refine predictions about oxytocin pharmacotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Seaver Autism Center, Department of Psychiatry, New York, New York, 10029, USA. jennifer.bartz@mssm.edu
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bartz
authors.forename: Jamil
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zaki
authors.forename: Niall
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bolger
authors.forename: Kevin N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Ochsner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012919:Social Behavior
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin