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Correspondence| Volume 72, ISSUE 3, e3-e4, August 01, 2012

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Oxytocin and Pair Bonding: On Possible Influences During the Life Course

Published:February 27, 2012DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.01.029
      Social integration in general and pair-bond relationships in particular are important predictors of individual health and longevity (
      • Holt-Lunstad J.
      • Smith T.B.
      • Layton J.B.
      Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review.
      ). It is therefore of the greatest research interest to investigate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms that might mediate the associations of pair-bond relationships and health. Recent research has suggested a prominent role of the neuropeptide oxytocin in this complex relationship and oxytocin is assumed to mediate the effects of couple interaction on stress reduction and individual health in the long term (e.g., [
      • Ditzen B.
      • Schaer M.
      • Bodenmann G.
      • Gabriel B.
      • Ehlert U.
      • Heinrichs M.
      Intranasal oxytocin increases positive communication and reduces cortisol levels during couple conflict.
      ], for reviews see [
      • Insel T.R.
      The challenge of translation in social neuroscience: a review of oxytocin, vasopressin, and affiliative behavior.
      ,
      • Ross H.E.
      • Young L.J.
      Oxytocin and the neural mechanisms regulating social cognition and affiliative behavior.
      ]).
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