Oxytocin Facilitates Self-Serving Rather Than Altruistic Tendencies in Competitive Social Interactions Via Orbitofrontal Cortex.
Administration, Intranasal
Adolescent
Adult
Altruism
Brain Mapping
/ methods
Competitive Behavior
/ drug effects
Crime Victims
Double-Blind Method
Empathy
/ drug effects
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Oxytocin
/ administration & dosage
Prefrontal Cortex
/ diagnostic imaging
Random Allocation
Token Economy
Young Adult
altruism
empathy
orbitofrontal cortex
oxytocin
self-interest
Journal
The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology
ISSN: 1469-5111
Titre abrégé: Int J Neuropsychopharmacol
Pays: England
ID NLM: 9815893
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
01 08 2019
01 08 2019
Historique:
received:
10
01
2019
revised:
15
04
2019
accepted:
31
05
2019
pubmed:
4
6
2019
medline:
22
4
2020
entrez:
2
6
2019
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
While the neuropeptide oxytocin can facilitate empathy and altruistic behavior, it may also promote self-serving tendencies in some contexts, and it remains unclear if it would increase altruistic or self-interest behaviors when they compete within a social situation. The current between-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled fMRI study investigated the effect of intranasal oxytocin on empathy for social exclusion using a modified online ball-tossing game that incorporated monetary rewards and the potential to display both altruistic and self-interest behaviors. Results showed that when subjects in both oxytocin and placebo groups were observing a player being excluded (victim) by other players in the game, there was activation in the mentalizing network. When subjects then played both with the victim and the players who had excluded them, they threw more balls to the victim player, indicative of an altruistic response. However, subjects in the oxytocin group threw more balls to the excluder players indicative of greater self-interest, since the latter would be perceived as more likely to reciprocate to maximize financial gain. This behavioral effect of oxytocin was associated with greater medial orbitofrontal cortex activation when playing with the excluders and negatively correlated with trait-altruism scores. Overall, our findings suggest that in the context of competing motivations for exhibiting altruistic or self-interest behavior, oxytocin enhanced self-interest and this was associated with greater activation in frontal reward areas.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
While the neuropeptide oxytocin can facilitate empathy and altruistic behavior, it may also promote self-serving tendencies in some contexts, and it remains unclear if it would increase altruistic or self-interest behaviors when they compete within a social situation.
METHODS
The current between-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled fMRI study investigated the effect of intranasal oxytocin on empathy for social exclusion using a modified online ball-tossing game that incorporated monetary rewards and the potential to display both altruistic and self-interest behaviors.
RESULTS
Results showed that when subjects in both oxytocin and placebo groups were observing a player being excluded (victim) by other players in the game, there was activation in the mentalizing network. When subjects then played both with the victim and the players who had excluded them, they threw more balls to the victim player, indicative of an altruistic response. However, subjects in the oxytocin group threw more balls to the excluder players indicative of greater self-interest, since the latter would be perceived as more likely to reciprocate to maximize financial gain. This behavioral effect of oxytocin was associated with greater medial orbitofrontal cortex activation when playing with the excluders and negatively correlated with trait-altruism scores.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, our findings suggest that in the context of competing motivations for exhibiting altruistic or self-interest behavior, oxytocin enhanced self-interest and this was associated with greater activation in frontal reward areas.
Identifiants
pubmed: 31152588
pii: 5510038
doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyz028
pmc: PMC6672625
doi:
Substances chimiques
Oxytocin
50-56-6
Types de publication
Clinical Study
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
501-512Informations de copyright
© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.
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