Sexual dimorphism in oxytocin responses to health perception and disgust, with implications for theories on pathogen detection.
In response to a recent hypothesis that the neuropeptide oxytocin might be involved in human pathogen avoidance mechanisms, we report the results of a study in which we investigate the effect of intranasal oxytocin on two behaviors serving as proxies for pathogen detection. Participants received either oxytocin or a placebo and were asked to evaluate (1) the health of Caucasian male computer-generated pictures that varied in facial redness (an indicator of hemoglobin perfusion) and (2) a series of pictures depicting disgusting scenarios. Men, but not women, evaluated all faces, regardless of color, as less healthy when given oxytocin compared to a placebo. Women, on the other hand, expressed decreased disgust when given oxytocin compared to a placebo. These results suggest that intranasal oxytocin administration does not facilitate pathogen detection based on visual cues, but instead reveal clear sex differences in the perception of health and sickness cues.
University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: carolyn.declerck@uantwerpen.be.
Carolyn H
CH
Declerck
University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: bruno.lambert@uantwerpen.be.
B
B
Lambert
University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: christophe.boone@uantwerpen.be.
C
C
Boone
D001419:Bacteria; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000523:psychology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000523:psychology; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult
D010121:Oxytocin
Disgust; Health perception; Oxytocin; Pathogen detection; Sex differences