Pheromones

• Hormones


  A class of chemicals that affect behaviours ; they are released from glands into the bloodstream which creates a slow but long lasting effect.

  Examples :

  Hypothalamus - based of the brain, simulated hormones to stimulate or suppress the release of hormones in the pituitary gland.

  Pituitary - below the brain, controls the functions of the other endocrine glands.
• The endocrine system


  A network of glands and organs that use hormones to regulate, control and coordinate the body.
• Oxytocin


  Is a chemical hormone, also knows as the "love hormone", that is produced in the hypothalamus and excreted into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland. It can be produced to help provide more frequent contraptions when a woman is in labour and also starts making milk and then downsizes the womb after childbirth. Another product is a feeling of trust and bonding in a relationship. It can also form a feeling of suspicion towards new people and envy towards and when a relation is talking to other people.
• Schedule at al (2012) the role of oxytocin in human fidelity

  AIM : To investigate the role of oxytocin in human fidelity

  PROCEDURE : 86 hetro men, some single some in relationships. Double blind study. Randomly given placebo or oxytocin and told to complete two tasks. 1- stop distance, they were stood 2m across from an attractive woman and were told to walk towards her and stop when they felt uncomfortable. 2- Approach/avoidance task, they looked at 4 images 1 attractive woman 2 beautiful landscape 3 mulilations 4 dirt if they like the image they pulled the joystick and pushed if not.

  RESULT : 1) Oxytocin caused men to keep a further distance mainly ones in relationships 2) the main picture was of the woman the men in relationships slowly pulled the lever to get. better look while on Oxytocin. Oxytocin causes men in relationships to stay back and the effect of Oxytocin different to different groups of men looking at a beautiful woman.

  
• Kosfeld et al (2009)

  AIM : To see if oxytocin increases trust in humans

  PROCEDURE : 128 male 22 y/os, one placebo one oxytocin through nasal spray. Paired randomly either investor or trustee. 1) both have 12 endowment 2) investor decides how much to give to trustee 4 options (0,4,8,12) experimenter triples what is given 3) trustee then decides how much to return which would be tripled as well. Can they trust each other? If there is complete trust they will both gain more and then after proceeding 4 times with 4 different people the figure would turn into real money. After a follow up study similar but instead playing with human - like software.

  RESULT : 45% of oxytocin showed max trust placebo showed 21% median for oxytocin was 10 and placebo 8 transferred and no differences between each experiment. Oxytocin increases trust and reduces risk aversion.