Men perform comparably to women in a perspective taking task after administration of intranasal oxytocin but not after placebo.

Oxytocin (OT) is thought to play an important role in human interpersonal information processing and behavior. By inference, OT should facilitate empathic responding, i.e.

A direct examination of the effect of intranasal administration of oxytocin on approach-avoidance motor responses to emotional stimuli.

Oxytocin has been shown to promote a host of social behaviors in humans but the exact mechanisms by which it exerts its effects are unspecified. One prominent theory suggests that oxytocin increases approach and decreases avoidance to social stimuli. Another dominant theory posits that oxytocin increases the salience of social stimuli.

Oxytocin administration leads to a preference for masculinized male faces.

Preferences for sexually dimorphic traits in men's faces are consistent with a trade-off between cues to indirect (genetic) and direct (prosociality) benefits, associated perceptually with relative masculinity and femininity respectively. As the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been shown to promote social perception, we hypothesized that temporary OT elevation would result in a preference for masculinity in men's faces, by reducing the apparent social costs of masculine traits. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 96 participants received either 24 IU OT or placebo.

Oxytocin and social perception: oxytocin increases perceived facial trustworthiness and attractiveness.

The neuropeptide oxytocin is involved in the development and maintenance of attachment behaviours in humans and other species. Little is known, however, about how it affects judgements of unfamiliar others. In a double-blind placebo-controlled study we investigated the effect of a single intranasal dose of oxytocin on judgements of facial trustworthiness and attractiveness.