If a person talks about his problems to another person, then the level of stress is sure to decrease. This will happen due to the production of oxytocin, the hormone of love, kindness and joy, or, as it is also called, the “hormone of hugs”.
This hormone is formed in the brain in women during childbirth, lactation, and also during sex. He, it turns out, is able to strengthen the faith of a person, rejected by society, in other people. In other words, in a difficult situation, a person does not run away from problems and society, but seeks help. When a person in a state of mental suffering, the level of oxytocin rises, he is ready to make contact.
An experiment in which 100 volunteers participated helped to understand this pattern for scientists at Concordia University. People received a spray with oxytocin, then they were put in a difficult situation: they were either interrupted during a conversation with other participants in the experiment, or they were opposed or ignored.
Using special questionnaires, scientists identified those who were adversely affected by such treatment. But as soon as a man breathed a spray with a hormone, he continued to be friendly with people and trusted them, which could not be said about the control group.
Researchers noticed an interesting pattern: oxytocin did not help those whom the situation did not affect emotionally. But even among the participants on whom he acted, the reaction was completely different. According to the observations of scientists, it depended on the context and individual characteristics of the body. For this reason, the researchers believe, before introducing hormone treatment into clinical practice, it is necessary to thoroughly study the mechanism of its work.
Experts suggest that this may be an effective way to improve mood and even treat depression. Scientists have plans for the near future to test the hormone in people prone to depressive conditions.
