title: Social evolution. Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds.
abstract: Human-like modes of communication, including mutual gaze, in dogs may have been acquired during domestication with humans. We show that gazing behavior from dogs, but not wolves, increased urinary oxytocin concentrations in owners, which consequently facilitated owners' affiliation and increased oxytocin concentration in dogs. Further, nasally administered oxytocin increased gazing behavior in dogs, which in turn increased urinary oxytocin concentrations in owners. These findings support the existence of an interspecies oxytocin-mediated positive loop facilitated and modulated by gazing, which may have supported the coevolution of human-dog bonding by engaging common modes of communicating social attachment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan. Department of Physiology, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagasawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Shouhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mitsui
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Shiori
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: En
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuyo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohtani
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.affiliation: University of Tokyo Health Sciences, Tama, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsushi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Onaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazutaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mogi
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan. kikusui@azabu-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Takefumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kikusui
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000523:psychology*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003142:Communication; D004285:Dogs / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D001841:Human-Animal Bond; D006801:Humans; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000502:physiology*; D019596:Wolves / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin