title: Something to talk about: Gossip increases oxytocin levels in a near real-life situation.
abstract: Gossip is a pervasive social behavior. Its evolutionary survival seems related to its social functions, such as establishing group rules, punishing trespassers, exercising social influence through reputational systems, and developing and strengthening social bonds. We aimed at evaluating the effect of gossip on hormones (oxytocin and cortisol) and at identifying potential mediators of hormonal response to gossip. Twenty-two female students were randomly assigned to a gossip conversation or to an emotional non-gossip conversation. Additionally, all participants underwent a neutral conversation on the second day of the study. Salivary oxytocin and cortisol levels were measured. Oxytocin increased significantly in the gossip compared to the emotional non-gossip conversation. A decrease in cortisol levels was observed in all three conditions (gossip, emotional non-gossip, neutral). Change in cortisol levels was similar across conditions. Psychological characteristics (e.g. empathy, autistic traits, perceived stress, envy) did not affect oxytocin rise in the gossip condition. Our findings suggest that oxytocin may represent a potential hormonal correlate of gossip behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Via Bassi 21, 27100 Pavia, Italy. Electronic address: natascia.brondino@libero.it.
authors.forename: Natascia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brondino
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Via Bassi 21, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fusar-Poli
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Via Bassi 21, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Politi
mesh_terms: D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000032:analysis*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012919:Social Behavior; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Cortisol; Empathy; Gossip; Oxytocin