All May Not Be Rosy in Oxytocin's Future

Until now, the brain hormone oxytocin has been found to play a role in prosocial emotions and behaviors. Scientists have found that when given intranasally, it can enhance social interactions and the formations of attachments, increase people's trust in each other, and reduce social anxiety (Psychiatric News, November 21, 2008).

However, oxytocin's fortune may be turning. A new study has found that it also may have antisocial properties—it may increase people's envy and gloating.

This new study was conducted by Simone Shamay-Tsoory, Ph.D., of the University of Haifa in Israel, and her colleagues. Results were published online July 30 in Biological Psychiatry.

Fifty-nine individuals who responded to an ad posted at the University of Haifa participated in this double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject study. The subjects were aged 20 to 37; 33 were female and 26 male.

Subjects were randomly assigned to receive intranasal oxytocin or a placebo and then played a game of chance under three conditions. During the first condition, a fake opponent won more money than the subjects did (to make them envious). During the second condition, a fake opponent lost more money than the subjects did (to make them gloat). During the third condition, a fake opponent won the same amount of money the subjects did (to provoke neither envy nor gloating). After playing each of the games, subjects were rated on feelings of envy and gloating.

In a second experimental session, the subjects who had received oxytocin got a placebo, and subjects who had received a placebo got oxytocin, and they played under the same three conditions.

As expected, subjects experienced significantly more envy after playing the envy-provoking game than after playing the other two games. And also as expected, subjects experienced significantly more gloating after playing the gloating-provoking game than after playing the other two games.

Finally the researchers looked to see whether there was any link between the envy or gloating emotions that subjects had experienced and the treatment they had received before playing the games. The answer was yes. Subjects experienced significantly more envy after playing the envy-provoking game and more gloating after playing the gloating-provoking game if they had received oxytocin beforehand than if they had received a placebo beforehand.

Thus, the administration of oxytocin enhanced envy and gloating, the researchers concluded. But how to explain this apparently contradictory finding since oxytocin seems to promote positive social emotions and bonding between people? One possibility, the researchers speculated, is that oxytocin not only promotes positive social emotions, but also modulates social emotions in general. For instance, oxytocin could “result in more trustworthiness and generosity in positive contexts, while leading to more envy and Schadenfreude in competitive contexts,” they suggested.

The study was funded by the Israel Ministry of Health.

An abstract of “Intranasal Administration of Oxytocin Increases Envy and Schadenfreude (Gloating)” can be accessed by clicking on<www.journals.elsevierhealth.com> then “Articles in Press.” ▪