“Harmony before Matrimony” by James Gillray
Oxytocin (or the ‘love hormone’ as it’s often called) is an important regulator of sexual arousal, pair bonding, and maternal behavior. Oxytocin also regulates non-reproductive social behaviors, which can be artificially manipulated by changing oxytocin levels. When people playing investment games in a research setting inhaled oxytocin, they became both more trusting and more empathetic towards other players. But can too much oxytocin be a bad thing?
Read more of my AAAS MemberCentral post here.
Summer E. Allen, PhD 
