Combining oxytocin administration and positive emotion inductions: Examining social perception and analytical performance.
Intranasal administration of the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has, in some studies, been associated with positive effects on social perception and cognition. Similarly, positive emotion inductions can improve a range of perceptual and performance-based behaviors. In this exploratory study, we examined how OT administration and positive emotion inductions interact in their associations with social and analytical performance. Participants (N=124) were randomly assigned to receive an intranasal spray of OT (40IU) or placebo and then viewed one of three videos designed to engender one of the following emotion states: social warmth, pride, or an affectively neutral state. Following the emotion induction, participants completed social perception and analytical tasks. There were no significant main effects of OT condition on social perception tasks, failing to replicate prior research, or on analytical performance. Further, OT condition and positive emotion inductions did not interact with each other in their associations with social perception performance. However, OT condition and positive emotion manipulations did significantly interact in their associations with analytical performance. Specifically, combining positive emotion inductions with OT administration was associated with worse analytical performance, with the pride induction no longer benefiting performance and the warmth induction resulting in worse performance. In sum, we found little evidence for main or interactive effects of OT on social perception but preliminary evidence that OT administration may impair analytical performance when paired with positive emotion inductions.
Department of Psychology, McGill University, Canada. Electronic address: lauren.human@mcgill.ca.
Lauren J
LJ
Human
Department of Psychology, New York University, United States.
Katherine R
KR
Thorson
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, United States.
Joshua D
JD
Woolley
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, United States.
Wendy Berry
WB
Mendes
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D032763:Behavior Control / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010919:Placebos; D012938:Social Perception; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
D009479:Neuropeptides; D010919:Placebos; D010121:Oxytocin
Analytical performance; Oxytocin administration; Positive emotion inductions; Social perception